FRIDAY, July 22nd
Finer Feelings w/ Rebecca Rego & the Trainmen, Penny Horses and Nick Rainey, 9 p.m., Cowboy Monkey, $7, 19+
What a jam-packed lineup Cowboy Monkey has cooked up this weekend, featuring C-U indie favorites Finer Feelings as they release their new album. Four bands, seven dollars. you just can’t beat it. It’s not possible. (BH)
Free food and art, Common Ground Food Co-op, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Common Ground hosts artist in their education room and at the end of the run they throw a reception where you can meet the artist and have some wine and cheese on the house. You will be able to meet Kamila Glowacki in person and see all of the fantastic work she does here in the community as a musican in multiple bands, as an art educator, and as a local artist. Kamila will have CDs, prints, and merch available for purchase at the event so bring cash if you are interested! See the Facebook event. Check out Glowacki’s art here. (SL)
Folk, bluegrass and beer in a shipping container, Sipyard, 9 – 10:30 p.m., Free
Man the Still is a local, five-piece bluegrass/folk band and Sipyard has plenty of beer and seating for you to chill out late into the hot summer evening. Plan on stopping by and having a brew this Saturday night. (SL)
Kowabunga! Kid/Our Lady/Henrietta/Krelboyne, Institute 4 Creativity, 9 p.m., $5
Take in the sounds of C-U’s burgeoning young emo scene with this show at I4C. Orlando’s Henrietta will be stopping in town to jam with local rockers Kowabunga! Kid and Krelboyne, as well as Springfield’s Our Lady. Kowabunga! Kid have had quite a year already with a recent album release and tour, and a cheap, all-ages show at I4C is a great way to get to know them and their cohorts. (JM)
SATURDAY, July 23rd
Strawberry Slider, Pandamonium doughnuts at Urbana’s Market at the Square, 7a.m. to noon, about $3
I give Pandamonium Doughnuts and its fans a lot of slack because of the long lines at the market. I mean it in jest; it’s pretty fantastic that we have places in town dishing out goods that are genuinely worth waiting for. The strawberry slider is one of those things. A glazed yeast doughnut, cut in half like a bun and stuffed with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, is perhaps, one of the best warm weather breakfasts to have ever existed. I recently had one, and was disappointed that I didn’t order two for myself. Treat yourself to this well balanced breakfast this weekend — just be sure to get there early because the lines do get lengthy. (JH)
Mutts + Mojitos, Silvercreek deck, 3 to 6 p.m., $15
Two of my favorite things are coming together: dogs and drinks. With the $15 entry, you’ll receive access to the appetizer buffet, and a photo with your pooch. Your pup will be able to chill out in the puppy pool. For additional costs, you’ll have your drinks, and your dog can have some snacks. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Champaign County Humane Society. There are a few event rules, which are mostly common sense: don’t bring your dog in heat; don’t bring your dog with social anxiety and aggression issues; make sure Fido is up to date on shots; don’t bring more than two pups per person. Questions? Call Silvercreek at 217-328-3402. Oh, and that “Human Buffet” description just means food for humans. It’s not soylent green or anything. (JH)
The Reading Room: Xuxa Rodriguez + Elizabeth Majerus, 6 p.m., The Accord, free
This month’s Reading Room features Xuxa Rodriguez, whose poems have been published in Limestone. Art. Prose. Poetry., Similar Peaks Poetry, Found Poetry Review, and Foothill: A Journal of Poetry, and Elizabeth Majerus, whose chapbook, Blue: Poems, revolves around Joni Mitchell’s Blue album. Blue recounts the experience of being shaped by and obsessed with music, and the ways that relationships become infused with the smoke, the flavor, the ghost of certain songs. The event also features an open mic. (RP)
Uncover Urbana: A History, Cuisine, and Culture Hunt, 5:30 p.m., Sipyard (204 W. Main St., Urbana), tickets $15-50
Imbibe Urbana and Lumen Events have planned an evening of discovery, drinks, and scavenging in downtown Urbana. Registration includes wine and food tastings, martial arts demos, live arts performances, bike rides, games and prizes, and cats (real live ones) in downtown Urbana. (RP)
Wizard of Oz at Urbana Summerlove’s Outdoor Movie Night, 7:30 – 10:30 p.m., Busey Bank 201 W. Main St. Urbana, FREE
It’s the inaugural outdoor film in downtown Urbana, featuring food trucks, music, activities for all ages, socializing with your neighbors, and a free movie! Mill around downtown, bring a camp chair, and enjoy a film we absolutely cannot relate to: a Midwestern girl wants to escape home so much that she’d risk travel by tornado. The movie won’t start til after 8 p.m., so be sure to respect other viewers and grab a seat by then! (RK)
SUNDAY, July 24th
Reset North America to Default Settings Poetry Tour, Independent Media Center, 7-9 p.m., free/donations suggested
Join the UCIMC for a night of poetry as the Reset North America to Default Settings Poetry Tour comes through C-U. This event will feature readings from visiting poets Richard Wehrenberg, Jr., Wendy Lee Spacek, and Morgan Eldridge, as well as a live performance from local cover band Love Handles, and poetry excerpts from the UCIMC Zine Library. Come get pensive with these writers. Nothing puts punctuation on a weekend like metered lines. (JM)
Champaign County Fair, 1302 N. Coler, Urbana, all day, $10 admission (free parking).
Let’s do this in the correct order: the horse show starts at 10 a.m., the Firefighter’s water fight starts at 11, unlimited rides for $25 goes from noon to 5, and then the food. The gastrological sign for July-August is “Friedough”, so take advantage of the chance for a corn dog and/or funnel cake. After the squirrel cage. After. (RK)
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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.