FRIDAY, January 12th
Check out Broadway Food Hall, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., price varies
Broadway Food Hall has officially opened for business. Though no weekend hours are available at this point in time, it is only Friday, so there’s time this week still. By the looks of it, they are serving up some pretty awesome food, so hit it for lunch today, or if you can’t get to it today, try again next week. (PS)
St. Louis Cardinals Caravan, Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center, 12:00 p.m., free
Meet and greet with former and current Cardinals players Paul DeJong, Oscar Mercado, Andrew Knizner, Randy Flores, and Alan Benes! The event is free, and fans ages 15 and under can get autographs from the players, all this among prize drawings and more. (DT)
Countywide Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Vineyard Church, Urbana, 4-6 p.m., free
Take in some inspiration to start your weekend. This celebration kicks off a week’s worth of events celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The event will be honoring local youth serving in the community. Sally Carter, CEO of Tap In Academy, will be delivering the keynote address. (JM)
Democratic Candidates Meet and Greet, Los Zarapes, Mahomet, 7-8:30 p.m., free
Venture out to Mahomet for the opportunity to meet an assortment of political candidates. From local to state offices, several folks will be on hand to answer your questions including Gubernatorial Daniel Biss, County Clerk Aaron Ammons, House 101st Jen McMillin, County Executive Darlene Kloeppel, and Circuit Judge Ramona Sullivan. It’s 2018 people, time to start preparing for your all important votes in March and November. (JM)
Ryan Byfield and Nucleus, The Iron Post, 9pm – 12pm, $5
If you haven’t already watched Ryan Biceps (it’ll make sense when you see him) perform with his latin jazz fusion group Nucleus then you are seriously missing out. An amazing singer and an amazing pianist. (DS)
DJ Belly, Blackbird Urbana, 9 p.m. – close, free
I used to work at Radio Maria, so naturally I’m used to seeing DJ Belly on Friday nights. Needless to say it was always packed and busy, but Belly always knew what songs to play to keep even the staff going. Should be fun seeing him at Blackbird. (DS)
SATURDAY, January 13th
Illinois Junior High All-State Band Performance, Krannert Center, 3–5 p.m.
The All-Illinois Junior High Band, composed of students from all over the state who competed in blind auditions to be chosen for the ensemble, is performing at the Krannert Center on Saturday at 3 p.m. Come listen to an exceptional honor band and be astounded at what young musicians can accomplish! (DT)
Dinner and a movie, your restaurant and theater of choice, about $20 per person
Last week I saw Coco, and it was beautiful. I think you should see it too — bring a friend, the entire family, or just take yourself. If you’re making it a platonic or romantic thing, I suggest lunch or dinner at Caribbean Grill, where the Saturday special is jerk ribs (ribs!). Take a look at the movie times in Savoy and at AMC Champaign, and plan your outing accordingly. Oh, and bring some tissues, because if you leave Coco without feeling anything, you’re dead inside. Photo from Facebook. (JH)
Eat some smoked prime rib, It’ll Do Bar & Grill, 202 N Long St, Tolono, 6 p.m. to close
It’ll Do Bar & Grill is serving up smoked prime rib (12oz) with salad, a baked potato, and a roll. If you’re looking for an adventure, this could be it. If you’ve thought about abandoning your New Year’s resolutions already, this is an opportunity to do so, at least for one night. More info is on Facebook (sort of). Photo from Facebook (JH)
Murder Mystery Dinner Show, 6 to 10 p.m., $45/ticket or $80/pair
Attend Jupiter’s at the Crossing’s first Murder Mystery Dinner Show, an interactive evening with the theme of “Mafia Murders.” Guests are encouraged to dress according to the theme to make it a truly immersive experience. Tickets, though a tad steep, do include “salad, appetizers, pizza buffet and dessert along with 1 cocktail ticket per person” as well as an evening full of entertainment. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a cocktail hour, featuring wine and cocktail specials, and the show starts at 6:45 p.m. Sounds like it would be a fun and memorable evening. (KF)
Comedy at Memphis on Main, 8 to 10 p.m., $10 at the door
Memphis on Main will be hosting a Comedy Night with nationally touring comedians such as Dan West, a veteran “taking his story of healing through laughter to clubs and colleges across the country,” and Charlie Hester, a local musical stand up comic. There’ll also be a guest set from Mariah Anglin and Ryan Shipley will emcee. Stop by to have a few drinks and a few laughs! (KF)
We The Animals, Our Landmark, Blackbird, free, 9 p.m.
A duo of locals are taking the stage for this free show at Blackbird in Urbana on Saturday night. We the Animals have kept steady since the 2016 release of Hells & Chronicals. Our Landmark celebrated the release of their debut record back in December, What the Silence Says. (PS)
SUNDAY, January 14th
Look over the Restaurant Week menus, free, any time
OK, so this is something you can totally do on your free time, anytime — but Restaurant Week is coming up, and earlier this week we announced the menus for the participating restaurants. Check it out, and survey your options for when RW is upon us. (PS)
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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.