FRIDAY, December 8th
Make a wreath, Riggs Beer Company, 3:30–4:45 p.m., $50
Delight Flower Farm is hosting a wreath-making class at Riggs Beer Company. Participants will be learning the basics of wreath making and will use locally sourced wreath ingredients while building a wreath on a 12-inch frame (about 20 inches in diameter when finished). (DT)
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, The Station Theatre, 8 p.m., $10 – $15
Pride and Prejudice? And Christmas? These are honestly two of my favorite things. And even if they aren’t yours, I think it could be a great chance to see something new and change up your holiday entertainment. Check out Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and get in the Christmas spirit without Scrooge, but with Mary Bennet instead. See something you’ve never seen before. (KF)
Try out one of these brews, around C-U, all weekend, about $6
ICYMI last week, Katie gave a run down of some seasonal local brews. You can recreate/retrace her footsteps this weekend for yourself; consider it research for places to go and things to do when you have to hang with visiting friends and family in the next few weeks. Actually, you should pick up some board or card games and bring it with you to the breweries on the list; you can enjoy spending time with good brews and good company. Photo by Katie Simpson (JH)
Jarring, Ghoul Jr., SNST, Bristletongue, Urbana, $5, 8 p.m.
Pizza FM is presenting this show in Urbana tonight, featuring Jarring, Ghoul Jr., Bristletongue, and most notably SNST — a project of Chris Broach of Braid. This is a rad house show that might make you feel young again. (PS)
ProbCause w/ Chase Baby, Rogue Tendency, OG Temple, Canopy Club $10, 8 p.m.
OG Temple playing a show together? This doesn’t happen very often. Rogue Tendency and Chase Baby as well? Who knows, maybe we will get a group version of that baseball song Rota made forever ago. (DS)
SATURDAY, December 9th
Enjoy a cup of fancy coffee, Avionics/Page Roasting Company, 202 South 1st Street, Champaign, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., $6
I don’t go out of my way to treat myself to fancy coffee beverages, citing the high numbers for money out and calories in. Avionics/Page Roasting Company has complicated my SOP, because damn those coffee drinks are good. Like, really, really, good. And available in decaf. I stopped by not too long ago and had the harvest moon, which is made with saffron, sea salt, and maple syrup ($5.25). It was delicious. Super, super delicious. It was well worth the calories in, money out situation. (Don’t forget to tip your barista.) Photo by Jessica Hammie (JH)
Get your picture taken with a goat, Praire Fruits Farm and Creamery, 1-4 p.m., free (though the goats accept tips)
Who needs a picture with Santa, it’s way more interesting (and maybe a little less creepy), to get your picture taken with a goat. Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery is offering their second installment of their Holiday Market and Goat Photo Booth. Get a photo with a goat dressed as Santa, have some hot chocolate (which is made with goat’s milk and is DELICIOUS) and a doughnut, and accomplish some holiday shopping at their Real Stand market. There will be lots of local goods on hand. (JM)
Watch some gymnastics, Huff Hall, 4 p.m., free
Check out the talent of the U of I gymnasts at the Orange and Blue Exhibition. It’s one of the few times you can see both the men’s and women’s teams in action, and it’s a really fun event. They will be collecting toys for Toys for Tots, as well as giving away Illini koozies, and the theme is Short People Appreciation Night. If you are shorter than the cardboard cutouts of team members Hayley Roe and Nicole Biondi, you receive a free pair of texting gloves (a quick google search revealed that Roe is just 4’10’’). (JM)
Amasong Chorus Winter Concert, McKinley Presbyterian Church, 4 p.m., donation
Champaign-Urbana’s premier lesbian and feminist chorus will be presenting “Taking Wing: A Concert of Songs that Soar” on December 9 (and 10) at 4 p.m. The cost is a suggested donation of $10 to $20. (DT)
Party with local artists, Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, 7 p.m., free
The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center is hosting a launch party for its first issue of The Collective Magazine. You can purchase copies of their first issue, meet some of the contributers, and dance the night away. There’ll be performances by the funk fusion band The Data Waves, DJ Yung Duro and DJ Niccannon. “Come for the work by UIUC artists, stay for the music and good company.” Attire is semi-formal, so dress to impress. (KF)
SUNDAY, December 10th
Get a tree if that’s your thing, various locations, price varies, 8 a.m.-8 p.m
Maybe you’re like me, and you are kinda lazy, or have been away traveling for Thanksgiving, or some other reason you don’t really want to explain — and you haven’t put up a tree in your home yet. That’s OK, I’m with you — now is probably the time to get that done, considering Christmas is just a few short weeks away. If you’re going to tolerate having a tree in your home, you might as well make it count and do that this weekend. ChambanaMoms can help out with some listings of places to buy live trees, because well, there’s no real point in doing it twice if I can help it. (PS)
Attic Salt, Nectar, Linder, Annie Phylaxis, Ghost Planet $5 pwyc, 8 p.m.
The first time I saw Nectar they were pretty dope and the rest of the artists are pretty cool. Plus they’re taking donations of winter clothings for Courage Connection.
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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.