FRIDAY, AUGUST 1
Lunch, bacaro, 113 N Walnut Street, Champaign 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
This week’s Friday lunch is a “New England Shrimp Roll on a soft toasted bun, pink Maine shrimp, swipe of mayo, butter drizzle, a little lemon and bacaro seasoning, served with house made chips and a soda,” Not such a bad way to kick off the weekend? Photo from Facebook. (JH)
Snowpiercer, The Art Theater Co-op
Snowpiercer is back! If you didn’t get a chance to see this dark, exciting, thoroughly great sci-fi film before, now is your chance, Champaign-Urbana. All hyperbole aside, this is one of the best films of the summer, and it continues a pretty impressive streak of coolness from Chris Evans. (And, by the by, am I the only one who remembers Evans — pre-Avengers — from an extraordinary sci-film from Danny Boyle called Sunshine?) In any case: check this out. Love it, don’t love it, don’t get it, get the heck out of it, whatever. It won’t be time ill-spent. (MG)
4000 Miles, The Station Theatre, 8 p.m., $15
This play doesn’t have a poster of its own, so forgive the generic photo of a bicycle tire… and some random dude’s bathing suit area. Anyhoo. The final play in the Station Theatre’s three-show summer mini-season opens Thursday, with performances continuing this weekend. 4000 Miles, written by Amy Herzog and directed by Sara Boland-Taylor, is a smart and moving tale of family relationships and a cross-country bicycle trip (or vice versa). The play runs for only two weeks, so don’t miss out. Call 217-384-4000 for reservations, or visit the Station website. (MG)
CUTC’s Mary Poppins, Parkland College Theatre
If you have’t seen CUTC star Kari Croop lately all dolled up as the titular Mary Poppins (hosting the Frozen sing-along at the Virginia Theater, carousing at the local Barnes & Noble…), this weekend is your chance. You have two weekends to see the musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film, directed by LaDonna Wilson for the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company. Performances are July 31st-August 3rd, and again August 7-10. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. except for Sundays which are a 2:30 p.m. matinee. According to CUTC, “the musical originally opened in London in 2004 and is now in its fifth year at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. Unforgettable songs, dance numbers and astonishing stagecraft have made this one of the most popular Disney films of all time.” (MG)
St. Jude from Champaign to Peoria, Champaign Plaza in Downtown Champaign, 6 p.m., free
St. Jude is a hospital that treats kids with cancer… for free. So cool. Anyways, every year runners raise money and pledge to run to the St. Jude hospital in Peoria. This year runners will meet downtown Champaign, talk about their journey and the St. Jude mission, sound a blow horn and start running to Peoria. The run is estimated to take 22 hours and cover 102 miles! Come down and support the great cause. (SL)
Sing karaoke in a private room, Star Karaoke, 1503 Lyndhurst Alley, Savoy, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., $20-$45 per hour
I went to Star Karaoke one time with 4 of my friends. We got a private room with a large monitor, thousands of sounds, microphones and waiter service. We ordered delicious Korean BBQ, cold bottles of exotic beer and we sang our hearts out for at least an hour. Added bonus, the place even has their own taxi that charges $3 per person, one way, if it is groups between 3-11 people. It is a blast, try it out! (SL)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2
First Annual Interdependent Film Festival, Independent Media Center, $15
Featuring six films over three days, the first annual Interdependent Film Festival: Women Make Movies is an exploration of experimental and documentary filmmaking by women filmmakers from Champaign-Urbana and beyond exploring gentrification, immigration, health care, poverty, and ecofeminism. On Saturday, August 2nd, check out Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues, then stick around for the Grassroosts Filmmakers Workshop from 4pm to 6pm. Then, at 7pm, see Assorted Short Films followed by Carol Huang’s Free Trade Refugees: From Chiapas to the Prairie. For more information, check out SP’s article on the festival. For ticket information, go here. (MG)
Progressive Fest 3: Getting out the Progressive Vote, Champaign Public Library, Robeson Rooms A & B, 2:30 p.m., free
Progressive Fest 3 aims to give participants effective organizing and communication tools to Get Out the Progressive Vote (GOPV) and lay the groundwork to hold elected officials accountable for their actions after the election. Events include voter registration training, discussion on why these elections matter for social justice groups, and dinner. (RP)
Withershins Mt. Fuji In Blue listening party, Triptych Brewing, 6 p.m., free
As you’ve most likely seen on SP by now, Withershins are putting out their brand spankin’ new record Mt. Fuji In Blue soon. They’re going to have a listening party this weekend at Triptych Brewing, so you’ll be able to hear the whole thing and drink some good brews at the same time. Check out the link above for tracks to stream for now, and pick up a growler while you’re out there to celebrate. (PS)
The BARE Project Movie Night + Fundraiser, Pizza M/Flying Machine Coffee, 6-9 p.m., $7
Pizza M/Flying Machine are hosting a fundraising event for the BARE Project, a photography project created by Emily Otnes, Anna Longworth, and Alisa Greene (more about their work here). The evening includes guest speaker Ruben Quesada and a showing of Perks of Being a Wallflower at 7 p.m. (RP)
The Fights’ album release party, The Iron Post, 6-10 p.m., cover
The Fights are an alt-country outfit that has put together a very solid new record, Off Your Horse, which you can hear over at their Bandcamp page right now as a matter of fact. They’re going to bring it into the world “officially” on Saturday night at one of their favorite places to perform, the Iron Post. After hearing the new Withershins record, head back into town and catch their set which will most likely be towards the end of the night. (PS)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 3
Brunch, Escobar’s, 6 E Columbia Ave, Champaign, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., prices vary
Escobar’s brunch photos from a few weeks ago made my mouth water—walnut orange cinnamon muffins? Guatemalan breakfast? Yes, please. It’s easy to forget that this place exists because it’s tucked away a block or so from downtown Champaign, but something tells me I will definintely remember this weekend. Photo from Facebook. (JH)
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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.