FRIDAY, July 28th
Ride your bike to get coffee and pastries, Hopscotch Bakery and BrewLab Coffee, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., prices vary
Hopscotch and BrewLab are both celebrating a grand opening, and have teamed up with Neutral Cycle for this Grand Opening Bike Party. The first 200 customers to show up, on their bikes, to either location will receive a free commerative poster with purchase. Neutral Cycle has come up with a family friendly bike path map, which you can find on the Facebook event page. I’m pretty psyched to try out both of these new places… because coffee and pastries… and this seems like a fun way to do it. (JM)
Attend a Dark History and Horror convention, Wyndham Garden Urbana, noon to 9 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., free admission
Do you have a taste for the gruesome? Are you all caught up on your true-crime podcasts and TV shows and looking for something to entertain you in the meantime? I think this is your con (convention, that is). The event describes itself as “an annual event showcasing the darker side of history, some of your favorite horror characters, the paranormal, artwork, authors, comics, and all things dark and creepy!” There will be family-friendly events, and celebrities, authors, and some people who were on The Walking Dead. For more info, check out Facebook. Image from Facebook (JH)
Visit Blackbird, Downtown Urbana, anytime
A brand new bar/venue has opened in Downtown Urbana right next to Crane Alley, Blackbird. They’ve been doing a variety of things, including live music, but if you haven’t had a chance to check it out, go for it this weekend. Downtown Urbana is a fun place to hang out, so make a night out of it and hit a few places while you’re at it. (PS)
Krelboyne, Nectar, and Linder, The Canopy Club, 8:30 p.m., 18+
This show is in benefit of Girls Rock! C-U and directly towards future workshops. Local bands Krelboyne, Nectar, and Linder will be performing to show people exactly what they can expect to learn at the workshops that Girls Rock! C-U puts on. You can check out there page by clicking on the link above to learn more about when these workshops take place and what exactly they consists of, but it’s definitely a good cause to support. (RG)
Marjorie Prime, The Station Theatre, Running through August 12, $10/weeknight, $15/weekend
If you’re into theatre, and more-specifically, local theatre, then The Station Theatre in Urbana is where you need to be this weekend (or any time through August 12th, honestly), as they conclude their season with Marjorie Prime, the audience is transported to a world where technology has gone just a touch too far — kinda like Black Mirror, but on a stage instead of on Netflix. (BH)
Donate some school supplies, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., U of I School of Social Work
If you’re looking to do some good this weekend, stop by the U of I’s School of Social Work to drop off some school supplies for those in need. Three Spinners, a local non-profit, will be taking donations to give to immigrants, refugees, and unaccompanied minors, so they can have a productive and successful school year. (BH)
Emily Blue, Friday Night Live (Exile on Main St.), 6 pm, Free
A C-U expat, Emily Blue (of Tara Terra) returns to C-U for a performance at the weekly Friday Night Live event at Exile on Main St. While Blue has recently stepped into more of a pop role, it will be interesting to see how her new style of music transitions to a solo, singer-songwriter setting. (BH)
SATURDAY, July 29th
Play golf, variety of places in C-U + beyond, price varies
The weather is supposed to somewhat behave this weekend — highs in the 80s, mostly clear skies — so if golfing is your thing, you should hit the links this weekend. I’ve been terrible at getting out and playing this summer, so I’m going to change that this weekend — playing at Iron Horse in nearby Tuscola. I can taste the cold beers already. (PS)
Watch Willy Wonka outside, 129 N. Race Street, 8:10 p.m., free
Urbanalove is hosting its 2nd Summer Movie Night with a showing of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Homer Soda Company will be offering up free samples of soda from 7-8 p.m., and the movie will begin just after. Grills are available for movie goers to use as well. Kids and pets are welcome, as long as they aren’t creeped out by that one scene on the boat where Gene Wilder is singing and staring into your soul. (JM)
Adult Swim at Sholem, 2205 Sangamon Dr, Champaign, 8-10 p.m., $6
Swimming during the day is hot, and there are noisy, pesky kids around. Nightswimming, on the other hand, with the 18+ only crowd, is actually relaxing and enjoyable, and there’s no risk of sunburn. If you do have kids, you can stash ’em at the Leonhard Rec Center for free, too. So suit up and enjoy some grownup time. (RK)
The Dirty Feathers + The Bashful Youngens, Seven Saints’ beer garden, Free, 19+
Two of C-U’s favorite bands with three words in their name take the stage in Mike N Molly’s…erm…I mean Seven Saints’ beer garden. Let your nostalgia run wild as you eat sliders, folks. All jokes aside, both the Feathers and the Youngens are some of the best musical talent C-U has to offer, and as a free show, so what’s not to love? (BH)
SUNDAY, July 30th
Eat Red Bicycle Ice Cream, 2740 Philo Road, Suite D Urbana, $5-10, noon-9 p.m.
I finally got myself over to try out Red Bicycle ice cream in Urbana, it took over the space formerly occupied by Cafe Zojo in Southeast Urbana. I love by-the-scoop ice cream, so this was a welcomed addition to C-U when I saw the announcement a while back about it opening. It is late July, which means heat of course, so you can treat yourself on a Sunday afternoon or evening to a couple of cold scoops of delicious ice cream. (PS)
Listen to Love Handles, Champaign Public Library, 2-3 p.m., free
Love Handles is a local band made up of a rotating roster of musicians who all also work in the field of sexual violence advocacy (you know, Courage Connection, RACES, etc). They cover feminist rock or female-led bands, along with some original songs, and they’ve just released an EP. Swing by the library and check them out. (RK)
Drink beer and talk about theology, Esquire Lounge, 5-8 p.m., free (save for bits of your soul?)
The second in this three-part series brings together people from different walks of Christianity to dialogue with believers and non-believers about religious traditions and how Christians are defined by them. It should be an open converstaion, with plenty of space for questions. The event is hosted by UniPlace Christian Church, which is “distinguished by [their] openness to a diversity of beliefs.” I can think of few topics that go better with beer, save for politics and money. If you’re curious, check it out. More info is available on Facebook. Photo from Facebook (JH)
Sounds at Sunset Concert Series, Morrissey Park, 6 p.m.
This Sunday marks the second to last Sounds at Sunset in the concert series. This edition will take place at Morrissey Park and the bands performing will be The New and Slightly Used as well as Last Call Band. This series is a great way to discover C-U parks as well as musicians, all while taking in the great summer weather and relaxing in a nice family friendly environment, you can’t beat it. (RG)
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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.