FRIDAY, April 6th
Wieners & Wine, Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, 5 to 8 p.m., free wieners, buy your wine
Wieners & Wine kicks off for the season today, and though it’s not exactly ideal weather, you can warm yourself up by the bonfire, as you roast your hot dogs over the open flame. It might be too cold for wine slushies, but a glass of red will warm you right up. Here’s how it works: you buy a drink, they provide the hot dogs and toppings. Bring your own lawn chairs, and/or sit inside for the live music. You can read our review of the event (in warmer weather) here. (JH) Photo by Rachael McMillian
Mother Nature, CJ Run, JONT500, Blackbird, 8 p.m., $10
C-U ex-pats Mother Nature — comprised of Klevah and T.R.U.T.H — return home for a show with another excellent rapper, CJ Run. CJ has a handful of dates forthcoming, and check out our interview with Mother Nature from a few years back. This should be a fun one lined up at Blackbird. (PS) Photo by Tom Chandler
Rose Bowl Tavern’s 24th anniversary party, Rose Bowl Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
Home to plenty of shows, plus the Urbana Hootenanny, the Rose Bowl is one of the more interesting and cool spots in all of Champaign-Urbana to hang out, let alone see a show. The owners are celebrating 24 years of owning the historic spot, and Dennis Stroughmatt and his band will be providing the entertainment. (PS) Photo by Justine Bursoni
SATURDAY, April 7th
Check out the Edible Book Festival, Common Ground Food Co-op (Lincoln Square Mall), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., free
The Edible Book Festival is exactly what it sounds like — a collection of edible material formed (or punned) to reference books. It’s a delightful, family-friendly event. This is the second year it’s been on the weekend and at the Co-op, making it much easier for families to participate and check out the entries. There’s a contest, of course, with a few different winners in a few different categories. You can read our coverage of previous years here, here, and here; check back on Monday for this year’s. (JH) Photo by Jessica Hammie
Learn some History Along the Rail Trail, Walmart on High Cross Rd, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., free
It’ll be a brisk ride (around 30 degrees at 10 a.m.) but there’s supposed to be sunshine. Bundle up, grab your bike, and get some exercise while taking in the history of the area around the Rail Trail. The 6.7 mile ride ends near The Wheelhouse in St. Joseph, so that can be your reward for your hard work and dedication to learning local history. We reviewed it here. If you only have 6.7 miles in you, be sure to arrange for a ride back to town. Space is limited, so be sure to register here. (JM) Photo from Facebook
SLS PopUp Shop and Music Show, Independent Media Center, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., free admission
Shadestyle Lite is having their first pop up shop and music event to support Girls Rock CU, an organization aimed to empower young women through music education. They’ll have clothing to buy and music to enjoy. All proceeds will go to Girls Rock CU and the IMC. (KF)
Songs of Freedom, Krannert Center for Performing Arts, 7:30 p.m., Tickets $10-35
Join Ulysses Owens Jr. as he leads a jazz ensemble and trio of vocalists for an evening celebrating the music of Abbey Lincoln, Joni Mitchell, and Nina Simone, and how they “shaped the music and culture of the 1960s through their artistry.” (KF) Photo from Facebook
ZXO, Moon Ruin, Metaphysics, Cowboy Monkey, 9 p.m., $7
Here’s an awesome trio of bands to check out at Cowboy Monkey this weekend, headlined by ZXO, a band coming off a terrific 2017 with the release of LP1. They’re joined by Jared Bartman, who is no stranger to C-U having performed in town several times, and his new project Moon Ruin (you can stream one of the new tracks here). That, plus Metaphysics, who are a semi-local act it seems — listen to their album Reformation. (PS) Photo by Anna Longworth
SUNDAY, April 8th
WorldFest, Spurlock Museum, 1 to 4 p.m., free
This event is in its 12th year, and it’s a celebration of performing arts from around the world. Performances include: Los Guapos (folk and popular music traditions of Latin America), Parisa Karimi and Ardavan Ardeshirilajimi (music traditions of Iran), and Mama Edie Armstrong (multicultural folktales). It’s a family friendly event (there are crafts!) so feel free to bring the kids along. (JM) Photo from Facebook
Celebrate National Library Week, one of our local libraries, times vary, free
April 8th is the beginning of National Library Week, so take this day that will surely have rain or snow or some sort of awful weather because that’s how we live now, and pop in to one of our lovely local libraries. The Urbana Free Library will be in the midst of it’s Spring Book Sale, and it’s half-price day. The Champaign Public Library has this fun art installation by local artist Adriane Binky Donley in the lobby that might make you smile amidst all of the ridiculous rain, and of course, you should check out books and read. It’s good for you. (JM) Photo by Julie McClure
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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.