Category > The Weekender
FRIDAY, MAY 18 Hit 9; Hit 18; any golf course around these parts On Friday May 18, it will be 85 degrees and sunny. So, knock off work a little early and head for the links and try your best to not embarrass yourself. Fact is, I've only really been golfing for a couple years now. I grew up swinging a different kind of club, one with a much bigger area to hit a much bigger ball. Of course, it …
| FRIDAY, MAY 11 Go celebrate President Obama kinda "coming out" about reality in Midtown Champaign, happy hour to 2 a.m. Listen. We can debate the merits and importance of President Obama's announcement all day. I've got my opinion. You have yours. And Mitt has his. All good. But here is something: the gays exist. Yeah. They do! Lots of 'em. And thank God! Right here in Champaign, we are incredibly blessed and have an amazing amount of people and organizations …
FRIDAY, MAY 4 Bleacher Bum Barbeque, 4:30 p.m. The first 2,000 fans at the Illini Men’s Baseball game against Michigan State will get free admission, free parking, and a free meal. Granted, a free hotdog that is cooked special to order for you and 1,999 other people may not sound amazing, but every hotdog tastes good when it’s at a baseball game. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m., but get there early for the free food. In years past this has been one …
FRIDAY, APRIL 27 Marathon, Medals, and Martinis, 5:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m. Emerald City Lounge Emerald City Lounge toasts this weekend’s marathon by offering great drink specials until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Enjoy Cosmos, Lemon Drops, Appletinis, or Firecracker Martinis for only $6. (TN) Unionfest 2012, Illini Union, 7:00 p.m., free? Pretty solid lineup of locals and non-locals, including the ever familiar Elsinore, Santah, Grandkids, and Hathaways, as well as Kids These Days, U-C Hip Hop Congress, The 92s, Bee Kay, Mike …
FRIDAY, APRIL 20 Get baked on the Quad, or elsewhere, any time of the day on Friday April 20: Sure, it's ridiculous to do recreational drugs just based on a hyper-pop-cultural reference made popular by hippies and neo-hippies and brahs across the country. But from its beginnings as a code for when a group of kids from San Rafael, Calif. decided to get high each day after school to its acceptance into pop culture lexicon run straight through the heart …
FRIDAY, APRIL 13 3rd Annual Turn it UP! , 7:00–11:00 p.m. 88 Broadway Tickets: $7 Presale; $10 for Adults; $7 Students/Youth Come out and Turn It UP! to help support the UP Center. For the past two years, Turn It UP! has brought together a diverse group of performers for a night of entertainment and festivities, with all proceeds benefiting the UP Center of Champaign County. This year, the third annual Awesome Ally Award will be presented to a nominee …
FRIDAY, APRIL 6 Lady MacBeth: A Kabuki Play at Krannert Center, Fri/Sat at 7:30 p.m., $16 for general public It's a Scottish–Japanese dynamo! Last weekend for this show. The Dirty Feathers, Creepy Band, Sun Stereo Cowboy Monkey ($5) – 10 p.m This is a really good weekend for this to be happening. However, Easter weekend might not even help you church-goers out there. Surely this show will wreak havoc and cause you sinners to be fully obligated to be forgiven …
FRIDAY, MARCH 30 Winter Jam 2012, 6:00-10:00 p.m. Assembly Hall Doors: 5:00 p.m. Cost: $10 at the door (no ticket required) I believe (pun!) that, Winter Jam is Christian music’s largest annual tour. (TN) Bands performing: Skillet Sanctus Real Peter Furler Kari Jobe Newsong Building 429 Group I Crew Dara Maclean We as Human For King and Country Eat some carbs, eat a piece of cake: Pekara Bakery, Downtown Champaign: Open hours As I whittle my weight down to …
FRIDAY, MARCH 23 Hank, Bedtime, Finishing School, 10:00 p.m.–1:00 a.m. Mike 'N Molly's, $5 cover Hank just released a new EP worth checking out; plus this show is a release of a split with Bedtime. Hank will be finishing up their mini-tour across the midwest and will finish it up at home. Why not head over to Mike 'N Molly's to enjoy some local punk. (PS) Obdulio's Macaroni and Cheese at Milo's, 5–9 p.m. I dream of Obdulio's Macaroni and Cheese. …
FRIDAY, MARCH 16 The Producers by CUTC at Parkland Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $16 Adult Becky Shaw at the Station Theatre, Fri/Sat/Sun 8 p.m. Tickets: $10 (Sunday); $15 (Friday and Saturday) I believe that they've recently been selling out shows, so if you're interested in this play, get your tickets now. You can make reservations online. Here is Smile Politely's tepid review. (TN) Pina at the Art Theater, 5 & 7:30 p.m. Fri, noon & 7:30 p.m. Sat, and 4 …
Most Recent Culture Comments
@Jason: You’re right about that. I get groceries at Schnucks (they carry what I buy, which I can’t say of any other single grocery store in town), and if they have a beer I’m in the market for it’s usually a quarter or two cheaper per 6-…
Best Neighborhood Bar (& Grill) : Urbana - My ‘hood- the ‘Boom! http://www.boomerangbarandgrill.com Go on a Wing Wednesday or Fish Friday, or see a band play some night. Local blue-collar Urbana terroir galore. My only beer snobbish gripe is lack of a pale hopped ale, but you…
The one thing that’s bothered me for a while about the Friar is that, for most commonly purchased adult beverages, you can actually walk down the strip mall to Schnucks and get them cheaper. It makes no sense, but there it is. I suspect it’s because Schnucks…
Maybe I complained enough in person. One time I even explained to the (wholly uninterested) clerk how to navigate the Illinois Statutes web page, and Savoy’s Municipal Code database I wouldn’t know because I only go there when I want to pay 30% more for anything, which is never.
@Rob: You seem to have the weirdest experiences. I’m in Friar Tuck every other week (don’t tell my mom that I’m a lush). They never fail to ask for my birth date but never my age, they never card afterwards, and they often allow me to use…
This column affords me a long-awaited opportunity. I’ve wanted to write my own column called Fuck You Friar Tuck Liquors. but I always thought it’d be too pithy. Here, I can say Fuck You Friar Tuck Liquors and not feel bothered to stretch it out to 750…
Ha! Exactly. You, sir, are welcome at the bar in My House.
Why wait ‘til 3 pm?
I’m excited to go tonight- should be very fun!
Most Recent Comments
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
This makes me so sad. (Happy to live in Urbana, though!) Crave Truck has been a GREAT addition to the food choices in C-U, and it’d be a travesty to chase them away. This town should be supporting small businesses. I’m glad to hear that they’ll still…
*slow. clap.* Still offering no threat of intelligence…. I know I said I thought you should just write this whole column yourself next year, Isaac, but now that you’ve gone and taken a “part deux” run at it, I’d like to modify my request: Best Music 2013,…
Actually, it’s kind of nice, the quiet. John Heoffleur’s engaging commentary/dialogue is sorely missed, however. In lieu of someone intelligent saying something, I’ve compiled a list of Honourable Mentions: BEST ROCK BAND: Take Care ::these gentlemen have four completely different sets at their disposal right now (which…
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The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!