FRIDAY, MAY 23
Belle, The Art Theater Co-op
From the Art Theater Co-op’s website: “Inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode). Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from the traditions of noble social standing. While her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) chases suitors for marriage, Belle is left on the sidelines wondering if she will ever find love. After meeting an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on changing society, he and Belle help shape Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.” Plays all Memorial Weekend long. See the Art’s website for times. (MG)
Billy Strings and Don Julin, Rose Bowl, 106 N. Race St., Urbana, $8 cover
C-U Folk & Roots Festival presents Billy Strings and Don Julin. They play traditional American string band music with energy levels usually associated with extreme sports. A typical set includes haunting Appalachian songs, righteous gospel standards, and blazing bluegrass instrumentals. Honoring the musical traditions of Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, and Jimmy Martin, their music is delivered with a pedal to the metal intensity of a moonshine runner. (RP)
Feudin’ Hillbillys, Fat City Bar and Grill, $8 cover, 9 p.m.
They’ve been gone a while, but they’re back at Fat City this weekend! They’ll be in the beer garden until midnight. David Kroll plays at Fat City for the first time, taking the stage inside from 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. So whatever environment you fancy, there’s some live music to be enjoyed! (KP)
SATURDAY, MAY 24
Cake Drink, The New Sweet Indulgence, 1121 West Windsor Road, Champaign, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
You can have your cake and drink it, too. With flavors like red velvet and vanilla, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Not into drinking your desserts? Just pick up an actual cake or cupcake. Or both. I don’t judge. (JH)
Encounters: The Art of Africa, Krannert Art Museum
Since October 2012, Krannert Art Museum has hosted Encounters: The Arts of Africa, dedicated to KAM’s African Art collection. If you haven’t seen it yet, then this holiday weekend is the perfect time to make up for it. Per the KAM website: “The completely redesigned space invites visitors to see exhibited objects not only as visually compelling works of art in their own right, but also as objects of encounter that can “tell” stories about the broader social contexts and often fraught global histories through which they have journeyed.” KAM is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays, so you’ve got all day to get some culture before you start wasting an entire weekend and wondering where the time went. (MG)
A Night at the Opera, The Virginia Theatre, 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign, $6
The Marx Brothers pose as sly business managers in a scheme to help their two opera singer friends achieve success. With Groucho, Chico and Harpo Marx and featuring Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Margaret Dumont, Sig Ruman and Walter Woolf King. It was the first film the Marx Brothers made after Zeppo left the act and was a smash hit at the box office. Organist David Schroeder will be performing on the Virginia Historic Wurlitzer Pipe Organ prior to the screening. (RP)
The Chemicals, The Conformist, Dr. Responsible, Mike ‘N Molly’s, 8 p.m., $7
The Chemicals have been cooking up some good stuff as of late, and should be releasing some new material later this year for the first time in some time. Look forward to that, and go catch them at Mike ‘N Molly’s on Saturday night. They’re joined by local loop/ambient master Dr. Responsible, and The Conformist. Good one all around. Plus — it’s beer garden season. (PS)
SUNDAY, MAY 25
Hit the links, any time Sunday or Monday, price varies
Memorial Day weekend — get your tee time set up quickly, or else you might miss out on a solid couple of days for golf as the weather has finally perked up. There are plenty of places to hit ’em, no matter how good or bad you might be at golf. Most of you are probably looking at public courses (like myself), so some good options would be Stone Creek, Orange/Blue Course, Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, Iron Horse in Tuscola, Brookhill in Rantoul, amongst plenty of others. (PS)
Half-price fajitas, Cabo’s Cantina & Grill, 2411 Village Green Place, Champaign, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., $5 (veggie) or $6.50 (meat)
Lovely weather and a holiday on Monday? Get a table outside at Cabo’s and eat some cheap fajitas and drink some margaritas (after you designate a driver, that is). The menu is pretty extensive, so if you’re not into half-price fajitas, I’m confident you can find something else. There are plenty of vegetarian options, and a good looking kids menu. (JH)
MONDAY, MAY 26
Buy, prepare, and eat meat, all day long, price varies
With Memorial Day being a day of rest for most, you should totally go buy some of your favorite meats (and vegatables, I suppose) and grill them up on a day off. Hopefully the weather allows, but as Jess pointed out a short while back, The Urbana Butcher Shop is a good place to start, but there are other options as well around C-U. Get some steaks and whatever else you are interested in, and make it happen. Grab some cold drinks, good food and friends, and relax as the good season of Spring has arrived. (PS)
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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.