FRIDAY, September 30th
Unreliable Bestiary:BEAR, Meadowbrook Park (Race St. entrance), Urbana, 4-7:45 p.m., FREE
Deke Weaver’s performances are special, but their limited engagements make them even more so. Take advantage of the open invitation to get in on a small group tour of hiking, learning, crawling and storytelling that makes up an engrossing interdisciplinary art installation. Dress for the weather and get drawn into the den of BEAR, ending this weekend. (RK)
SATURDAY, October 1st
Grand opening, Hammerhead Coffee, 608 E University Ave, Champaign, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., free plus cost of drinks
Hammerhead Coffee, a new coffee shop on University Ave in Champaign, is celebrating its Grand Opening this Saturday. The first 25 customers will receive a free drink, and they will be serving free single origin brews all day. Live music is from noon to 3 p.m. Image from Facebook. (JH)
Vintage Vinyl Sale, Fluid Event Center, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. $5 before 11 a.m./FREE admission thereafter
Illinois Public Media’s annual sale offers a great selection of vinyl, CDs, DVDs and more at low prices to help flesh out your collections. All proceeds will go to benefit Illinois Radio Reader, which provides the reading of local newspapers, magazines, books, and much more to the reading disabled in East Central Illinois. Early birds pay $5 for the best selection, and after 4 p.m., everything is half-price. (JM)
Heartland Maker Fest, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Lincoln Square Mall, free entry
Part expo, part demo, all interesting. Booths of innovaters, creators and tinkerers will be set up throughout the mall to “Inspire, Empower and Connect” like-minded people within the community. Network with folks to get your next project off the ground, or just come to see what’s starting up around town. If you missed some of the Pygmalion Tech Fest, participants like Snayl, the Hyve Touch Synthesizer, and the FabLab will be there, with other artists, musicians and creatives. (RK)
C-U Oktoberfest, 3 p.m. – 12 a.m., downtown Champaign, $5 entry
C-U’s Oktoberfest is a raucous afternoon and evening of beer, polka, beer, German food, beer, kids’ activities, beer, and more. Beer selections will include beverages from the Blind Pig, JT Walker’s, Destihl, Triptych, Orange and Blue Distributing, and Marketplace Selections, as well as traditional German beer. Proceeds from the event will benefit Developmental Services Center. (RP)
Sky Parlor, 4-7 p.m., Outhaus Gallery, free
Outhaus’s latest installation features work by Allison Lacher and Jeff Robinson. The artists consider an interplay between dreamy, disorienting belief in the most favorable outcomes possible and the inexorable physical limitations that confront reality. Outhaus is a local, pop-up gallery that pushes us to see and experience new things. (RP)
Fourth St. Records Launch, Fourth St. Records (206 S. 4th St. in Champaign), 9 p.m., $5 suggested donation
Come celebrate the debut of a new local label with its artists. Singer-songwriter and oboist Maddy Marsan will celebrate the release of her new album Nocturnes on Saturday, and she is sharing the party with her label, Fourth Street Records. They are announcing their official launch with this show, and several other musicians will take part in the festivities as well. (JM)
Watch Illinois vs. Nebraska, Anywhere that gets ESPN 2, 2:30 PM, Free plus the cost of beer.
Sure, we’re gonna get smashed. Sure, this Lovie honeymoon thing kinda went out the window when we got clobbered at home by Western Michigan, but regardless, we might win, right? (B.H)
Janelle James, The Accord, 8 p.m., $10 adv/$13 at the door.
Formerly-local comedian Janelle James makes her way back to The Accord for what is sure to be a raucous set, featuring openers Steve Schaberg and Chris Hightower. Plus, it’s just $10 to laugh your entire face off, which is one of the best deals in the world if you ask me. (BH)
SUNDAY, October 2nd
Join the Sipyard Mug Club, Sipyard, noon to 6 p.m., buy the mug and get cheap beer
Stop by Sipyard this weekend and join the Mug Club. On Sundays and Mondays you’ll get drafts for $3, which is super cheap. With local favorites on tap regularly, this is not only a cheap way to drink your favorite drinks, but it’s also an opportunity to try new stuff on the cheap. And Sipyard is a super cool place to drink some brews. Image from Facebook. (JH)
Vet Med open house, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free
Go behind the scenes at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital and also check out informative booths, exhibits, demos, and lots of animals throughout the veterinary campus—including in the Large and Small Animal Clinic, the Basic Sciences Building, and the Clinical Skills Learning Center. See more on the Facebook page. (SL)
Longboard for a cause, Corner of Legacy Ave. and W. Olympain Dr., 12-4 p.m., $3
The second annual ILC Push For Puppies charity event is a 9.1 mile push race (5 laps: 1.82 miles/lap) around a circuit in Champaign. The group will be raising money for the Champaign County Humane Society. There will be a winner’s circle (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place guys, 1st, 2nd girls, 1st grom) as well as raffling off longboard prizes. There’s a $3 entry fee, and that will include 1 raffle ticket. Head out to compete in the race or just come to chill and skate with friends and help raise money! More on the Facebook page. (SL)
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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.