FRIDAY, September 22nd
Animal Collective, BADBADNOTGOOD, Shlohmo, plus more, PYGMALION, Downtown Champaign, $15-99
As PYGMALION moves from Krannert Center district on Thursday night over to Downtown Champaign on Friday, Animal Collective headlines on Friday night outdoors behind 51 Main. That, plus plenty of others — there are two outdoor stages, plus two indoor stages, one at 51 Main and Memphis on Main. (PS)
Pygmalion FOOD Festival, Downtown Champaign, 5 to 11 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 11 p.m., free entry, $4 or $8 per item
The second year of Pygmalion’s FOOD component kicks off Friday night. It’ll be happening at the same time as some live music and the MADE Fest, so it’s bound to be lively. I recommend Maize’s churros ($4), Big Grove’s fried Brussels sprouts ($4), and Watson’s wings ($8). More info is available here. Photo by Jessica Hammie (JH)
Illinois Futbol Club Fall Cup, University of Illinois Campus and Dodds Park, all day, free
It’s a day full of soccer as the Illinois Futbol Club hosts a weekend-long tournament with games for U9-U19 boys and girls. Every team is guaranteed three games, and it’s a great chance to watch some quality soccer played on quality fields. Teams will be coming to C-U from all over, so come out and see how C-U’s best stack up. (DT)
SATURDAY, September 23rd
Meet Kit Harington, Prairieland Feeds’ 2017 Pet Fair Extravaganza (303 S Dunlap Ave, Savoy), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., free
Surely you’ve seen the billboards around town telling you to meet a bunch of celebrities (Kit Harington, Tony Hawk, and Kid Rock). Those “celebrities” are, literally, a bunch of animals, and they’ll be at the Pet Fair Extravaganza this weekend. Kit Harington is an adorable skunk, Tony Hawk is a hawk (duh), and Kid Rock is a goat. There will be opportunities to adopt pets, ride ponies, buy pet-related things on sale, and talk with pet food reps about pet food. Dragon Fire and Kona Ice trucks will be on hand, too. More information is available here. Photo from Facebook (JH)
Go to a park, Champaign-Urbana, any day, free
The weather is going to be awesome, and we won’t have a lot of weekends like this left before autumn figures things out, so head out to your favorite park and enjoy the day. Have you been to the sculpture garden at Meadowbrook Park, yet? Well, it’s about time. (DT)
SuperDuperKyle, Noname, Oddisee, plus more, PYGMALION, Downtown Champaign, $15-99
PYGMALION’s second day in Downtown Champaign is headlined by rapper SuperDuperKyle (his big hit from this year is called “iSpy”) and you can check out the full schedule here. Tons to check out around 51 Main and Memphis on Main in Downtown Champaign. (PS)
4th Annual Immigrant Welcome Awards, Muslim-American Society, 2011 Brownfield Rd, Urbana, 2-4 p.m., free
The Welcome Awards are a culmination of Welcoming Week, a week dedicated to welcoming newcomers to C-U. The ceremony will recognize businesses, organizations, and individuals who have fostered a welcoming atmosphere for immigrants in our community. This year they have joined forces with the cities of Champaign and Urbana to include humanitarian awards as well, honoring local individuals who are making a difference abroad. Check out this year’s honorees here. The event is open to the public and will include food, entertainment, and activities for the whole family. (JM)
CU Indivisible Town Hall Series: Erik Jones, Urbana Free Library. 200 W Green St, Urbana, 2:30pm – 4pm.
Local progressive activism group CU Indivisible is hosting a town hall featuring IL-13 congressional candidate Erik Jones. This is one in a series of events intended to help the community get to know a variety of candidates, ask questions, and involved themselves in the electoral process. Seating is first-come, first-served. The event is a town hall style question and answer session. You are encouraged to prepare your questions in advance. The event is free and open to the public. (CR)
SUNDAY, September 24th
An Afternoon with Javaka Steptoe, Champaign Public Library, 2-3:30 p.m., free
Part of the LIT portion of Pygmalion, this event is an opportunity to hear from a Coretta Scott King and Caldecott award winning author of “Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.” Doors open at 1:30 for book sales and refreshments, and Steptoe will be doing signings following the presentation. Do you have budding young artists (in 2nd-5th grades) in your home? Bring them at 11 a.m. for a collage workshop with Steptoe. Make sure you register in advance for that portion. (JM)
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