Friday, March 23rd
Cock, Station Theatre, 8 p.m., $15/ticket
Check out the Station Theatre’s latest production, Cock by Mike Bartlett, which tells the story of a man caught between two people and struggling to define what exactly it means to be in love. This production is directed by Artistic Director Rick Orr, and you can read some of his thoughts on the play in SP’s preview, where he discusses the themes, what drew him to this play, and that controversial title. (KF) Poster from Station Theatre website.
Our Landmark, The Complaint Line, Loose Cobra, $5 suggested donation, 9 p.m.
In the last installment of my local scene happenings series, I made mention of Our Landmark’s new video that came out from their album released back in December. They’ve been up to a lot as of late, playing shows pretty frequently, but here’s one you should check out this weekend at the Loose Cobra. As always, they aren’t going to shake you down for $5, so the show is free in a way, but you should totally pay $5 to see it. Photo provided by Our Landmark. (PS)
Saturday, March 24th
Babies and Brunch, Prairie Fruits Farm, 9:30 a.m. to noon, prices vary
PFF’s Spring Open House series kicks off today, and though the food menu will be limited to coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries (full menu starts in April), it’s still a good time. Of course, there are plenty of baby goats around — that’s why you’re really there, anyway — and you get to support a local farm and local producers. PFF is one of the best places in all of C-U, and the baby goat breakfast is a highlight of the year. (JH) Photo by Jessica Hammie
Family Skywatch, CUAS Observatory, Tolono, 7-9 p.m., free
This is the first open house of the season, hosted by the C-U Astronomical Society. They’ve recently built a new facility at the observatory, which will have its official opening in April, but this weekend you can bring the family out to rural Tolono to get a sneak peek and see some astronomical objects through high powered telescopes. The event is weather dependent, cloudy skies included, so call 217-356-2567 if it looks questionable (JM) Photo from CUAS Facebook page.
Champaign Theaters Downtown Walking Tour, 6:20 p.m., $20/tickets
Take a walking tour of the theaters of Champaign, both past and present. Learn about “The Art, The Orpheum, The Virginia, and a few other theaters you may or may not know about.” The tour will be one hour and will take place primarily outside, with an an extended tour of “one select theater.” Sounds like a great way to see Champaign’s theaters in a way you haven’t before. (KF) Photo from Facebook.
Pecha Kucha, Virginia Theatre, 8:20 p.m., $10-15
Check out the 26th installment of C-U’s version of this international phenomenon. There will be ten presentations, 20 minutes each, and one of the presenters is a ten year old kid with his own BookTube channel. Yeah, no way ten year old me would’ve been able to speak about anything for 20 minutes, much less to a theater full of adults. You can see the full list of presenters here. If you purchase tickets online ahead of time they’re $10, otherwise $15 at the door. (JM)
Marathon, Salvation, High Priests, Casa De Sasha, $6-8, 8:30 p.m.
House venue Casa De Sasha was featured by Constantin a little while ago, and the DIY space is hosting a few rad bands this weekend. Headlined by Marathon, it is tough to believe that Demonstrations came out three years ago, oof! Seems like yesterday, but you should give it a listen if you’re curious what this one would entail. Photo by Veronica Mullen. (PS)
Slick Lisp, Love Handles, Grand Ambassador, Carrie Chandler & Kayla Brown, Cowboy Monkey, $7, 8:30 p.m.
The Great Cover Up happened back in February, but they are holding a GCUP Reprise on Saturday to benefit Girls Rock C-U, which is something we’ve featured a bit throughout the last year or so. Check out the Facebook event to see which acts are covering which bands. (PS)
Sunday, March 25th
Take a walk and look and listen for birds, Anita Purves Nature Center, 7:30 to 9 a.m., free
Every Sunday morning through May 27th, the Urbana Park District will host a bird walk through Busey Woods and Crystal Lake Park. Bring a pair of binoculars (or rent them for a refundable $15). It’s a kid-friendly event, so bring them, too. These sorts of events do wonderful things for the soul; it’s a lovely way to remind yourself that you don’t live in a post-apocalyptic corporate agricultural wasteland. (JH) Photo from Facebook
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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.