FRIDAY, May 20th
Backyard Jams feat. Kirkwood West and Reed Richards, The Accord, Free before 11, $2 after.
It’s finally starting to feel like summer, and Kirkwood West and Reed Richards are ushering in the warm weather with some beats on a patio at this place called The Accord. Turn up. (RP)
New Souls, Watson’s Shack & Rail, 11 p.m., free
This town has a lot of good music, right? New Souls, one of the best and most fun bands around, will be playing a free show at Watson’s. Show up early for a seat at the bar and earlier still for a table near the stage. And by all means order some chicken and whiskey if you feel so moved. (RP)
SATURDAY, May 21st
Recycle your electronics, Parkland College, Parking Lot M-4, 2400 W Bradley Ave., 8 a.m. – 12 p.m., free
Do a little spring cleaning and ditch those old tape players, cd players, and computer monitors you have had building up in your basement over the year. (SL)
Urbana’s Market At The Square, Downtown Urbana, 7 am – Noon, Free
It’s finally warm out, which means that it’s about farmers’ market time. Luckily, Urbana has us covered in this realm, and I can’t wait to get back. I’m gonna be so happy to snag some Juicy Bears, I just drooled on my laptop. Real talk. (BH)
CU 4 Prince: Artists Pay Tribute, Exile on Main St. and The Accord, all day long, Free (Donations Suggested)
Come say goodbye to a legend at two of C-U’s finest establishments on Saturday. Featuring music from a plethora of diverse (and awesome) local bands for the low price of free.99. You owe it to Prince to be there for it. It’s the least you could do. (BH)
Wine 101 brought to you by Imbibe Urbana, Bar M, 208 W Main St, Urbana, 3 to 5 p.m., $35 per person
Do you feel like a dummkopf ordering wine? Or are you looking for the best words to describe what you like, what you’re tasting, and all that jazz? Need to know what goes with your steak dinner? Imbibe Urbana will lead you through the basics. Tickets are $35, and can be purchased here. Oh, there will be tastings, of course. Image from Facebook. (JH)
Don’t Touch Me I Have Medicine, Outhaus Gallery, 709 E. Sunnycrest Dr., Urbana, 5-8 p.m., free
Open to the public, but planned in conjunction with ICQI, four members of the Lucero family will be displaying their art inside the Outhaus. A musical performance by Sam Rocha and Walter Gershon will begin at 6:30, and mediterranean food will be served. Expect interesting people all fitting into a small space. Good times. (RK)
The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Leo Tolstoy: Discord, The Station Theatre, Urbana, 8 p.m., $15
Even though the last play of the season has been delayed until now, the entire week sold out except for this day. It’s truly your last chance to see some venerated veterans of Celebration Company pace in a room and hotly debate personal theology. (RK)
Drink beers, eat food truck food and watch blues brothers, Fluid Events Center, 6 – 11:30 p.m., free
Enjoy local food trucks, beer and even a movie at the Fluid Events Center. They will be showing Blues Brothers. (SL)
SUNDAY, May 22nd
Chambana Craft Beer Pubcrawl, various locales, but starts at Crane Alley, 1 p.m., $5 plus cost of beer
This eight-stop pubcrawl will take you around C-U to a bunch of spots serving up delicious craft beers. Tickets are $5 for your custom glass, and you’ll pay the special prices on the featured brews at each location. You can buy your tickets at Crane Alley, Radio Maria, Triptych, or Art Mart. Registration begins at 1 p.m. and the crawl kicks off at 2 p.m. at Crane Alley. Check out the event’s Facebook page for more info. Image from Facebook. (JH)
Sounds at Sunset Concert, Clark Park (S. McKinley Ave & W. Daniel St) Champaign, 6 p.m.to 8 p.m., Free
Featuring the sultry sounds of the Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, Sunday’s Sounds at Sunset Concert is completely free and completely open. Guests are encouraged to bring their own seating (lawn chairs or blankets) and refreshments. (EJ)
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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.