FRIDAY, MARCH 14
Pi Day, Pekara Bakery, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Being as it’s Pi Day (3/14), Pekara Bakery will be having a pie special. All day they’ll be selling slices of homemade pie for $3.14 each. Select from apple streusel, key lime, peanut butter, or cherry — or have one of each. (JK)
Go to The Art Theater Co-op, all weekend long
This weekend, in the ramp-up to a celebration of the strange and wonderful Wes Anderson, The Art Theater Co-op will be showing one of Anderson’s best, as well as a couple of other fan-freaking-tastic movies that are sure to hold all sorts of nostalgic qualities for the cinephiles among us. In addition to The Fantastic Mr. Fox, you can see Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “wrong man” thriller North By Northwest as well as the all-singing/all-dancing/star-studded Muppet Movie. It’s a good weekend to be alive and like movies. (MG)
Percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani: Workshop & Performance, Institute 4 Creativity (111 S. Walnut St. 2nd floor, Champaign), 6:30 p.m. (workshop) and 9 (performance); $5-20
Improvisors Exchange @ I4C is proud to host Tatsuya Nakatani. Nakatani is an acoustic sound artist, percussionist with a distinctive approach to performance on drums, large hand-hammered Chinese gongs, and Japanese Buddhist bowls. Employing traditional and extended techniques utilizing handmade hardwood-bows, specially carved sticks and an occasional kitchen tool Nakatani manifests intense, organic music representing a very personal sonic world. His solo and collaborative performances have been presented in North America, Europe, South America and Asia, and since the late 1990’s he has released over sixty recordings. His most recent project is the Nakatani Gong Orchestra, a non-traditional music orchestra delving into the rich harmony of multiple gongs. (RP)
The Winter’s Tale, Community UCC, 8 p.m., $7
Among the many student-group-generated theatre pieces being offered this weekend, What You Will Shakespeare will present their interpretation of William Shakespeare’s immortal “problem play” The Winter’s Tale. Jealousy, accusations of betrayal, murder plots, flight from said murder plots… complications abound! Whether or not you’re familiar with the play (and let’s face it, you’re probably not), there’s a lot to be said for showing up and supporting a scrappy bunch of theatre-lovers who just want to perform good work for an audience. Hats off to What You Will, Illini Student Musicals, Mithiya, and Penny Dreadful Players for their efforts. Keep ’em coming. (MG)
SATURDAY, MARCH 15
Middle Market, Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There have been hints of spring this week, and what better way to celebrate and cling to that hope than by visiting the monthly middle market. No, it’s not outdoors, and no, there won’t be much in the way of fresh produce, but there are plenty of delicious local goods you can pick up. Check out the list of vendors. (JH)
Open House, Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, 4410 North Lincoln Ave, Champaign, 9 a.m. to noon
Spring is definitely on the way. Prairie Fruits Farm will hold the first open house of the season, with plenty of goat stuffs (goat’s milk hot chocolate and cheese, for instance) to purchase. Other artisans and vendors will be present, too. There are also baby goats! (Not for eating, FYI.) Please note that this is NOT breakfast on the farm — those will come later. (JH)
Engineering Open House, U of I Campus (Park in Lot E-14), 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (and 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday), free
In case you haven’t noticed, UIUC is a big engineering school. This weekend you have the chance to see what all the fuss is about at the 94th annual Engineering Open House. Over 250 exhibits ranging from concrete crushing to Newtonian fluid demonstrations will show off what engineering at U of I has to offer. (RP)
Local Author Reading: Letitia Moffitt, Jane Addams Bookstore, 2-3 p.m., free
Local author Letitia Moffet will read from her newest book, Sidewalk Dancing. Books will be available as well as an author signing after the reading. (JK)
SUNDAY, MARCH 16
Corned beef (and cabbage), everywhere, all weekend and Monday, March 17
St. Patrick’s Day is Monday, and plenty of places will be serving corned beef with and without cabbage all weekend. Check out specials at Seven Saints, Farren’s, Dublin O’Neil’s, and Crane Alley. (JH)
Little Co-op Chefs Cooking class, Common Ground Food Co-op, Sunday, 10:-11:30 a.m., $10 for owners/$15 for non-owners
The food coop is teaching youngsters how to make pizza and flour in the Flatlander Classroom, located at Common Ground. The kids, ages 11 and up, will “learn to be confident in the kitchen, make healthy choices, learn what it means to eat local foods” and make their own pizzas. They’ll grind wheat to see how flour is made and sample breads made from rye, corn, and other grains. The best part: the second kid is half price and parents get in for free! (KP)
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