Friday, October 14th
Photo by Matthew Macomber.
Pick up a banana cream tart, Art Mart, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., $4.95
Start your weekend with a trip to Art Mart. The neighborhood shop has great desserts, coffee, wine, clothing, housewares, and more. Read Matt’s food tour of Art Mart to learn about this banana cream tart and everything else he tried. (AB)
Check out Flannel Fest, Centennial Park, 5 to 11 p.m., free admission but bring money for food, drink, and activities
You have two days to get over to Centennial Park and experience things like pumpkin smashing, lumberjack demonstrations, wrestling, hot pepper eating contests, music, and more. This is a family friendly event has something for everyone. You can find a full schedule of events at the Champaign Park District website. (JM)
Photo from the Parkland Theatre Facebook page.
Go see The Story, Parkland Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $16-20
Directed by Latrelle Bright, The Story follows Yvonne Wilson, a Black reporter filled with ambition and a desire to get the best story. When she faces off with her edtior about a murder investigation, she must ask herself if the cost is worth it. The Story explores timely questions about the line between reality and fiction, and morality and ambition. Get ticket information and additional performance dates and times here. (DD)
Photo by Hoi Phan Do, courtesy of the Department of Dance.
Immerse yourself in October Dance, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30 p.m., $20 general, $10 U of I student and youth
October Dance, a showcase organized and performed by the U of I Department of Dance, will be awesome. You can read my interview with Professor Sara Hook to get an idea of what to expect. Bring the kids, too. Colwell Playhouse has fantastic views from just about any seat. Can’t make it Friday? You can also catch it on Saturday. (JH)
Saturday, October 15th
Celebrate Fela Kuti’s birthday, Common Ground Food Co-Op, 9 a.m., free
Chris Kinson and DJ KamauMau are going to be spinning some tunes outside of Common Ground on Saturday morning in celebration of the birthday of Fela Kuti. Kuti was an afro-beat pioneer, so the two DJs will be spinning Afro-beat music until noon. Come over before or after the farmers market and hear some tunes. (SW)
Do an Art Walkabout, Downtown Urbana, 10 a.m, free
Fall is a great time for leisurely strolls, and what better path is there than through Downtown Urbana’s gallery district. Participating locations include Cinema Gallery, NORDEN, Bohemia, The Gilbert Gallery, Tom Brewer Gallery, International Galleries, Beard Culture, Art Coop, and pipapo. See the event map for more information. (DD)
Image from the Facebook event page.
Take in one story of the history of the Potawatomi people, Urbana Free Library, 3 to 4 p.m., free
Do you know about the Potawatomi Trail of Death? It’s a terrible history of forced removal of Native people from what we know as Indiana to Kansas. The trail marched right through Monticello in 1838. Learn this history at this one hour presentation from Potawatomi historian, scholar, storyteller, and educator George Godfrey. (JH)
Image from 40 North 88 West Facebook page.
Celebrate homecoming, Downtown Champaign, 3 to 8 p.m., free
40 North is continuing the homecoming celebration after the football game with a “Saturday Night Live” event in Downtown Champaign. The action will be happening at Neil and Park and Market and Taylor, with bands, interactive art, and 10 Block I’s created by local artists scattered throughout downtown businesses. Find the all the details on the Facebook event page. (JM)
Hear some homegrown hip-hop, Urbana-Champaign IMC, 6 p.m., $25
If you’re in the mood for some hip-hop on Saturday and also want to avoid the crowd at the Ludacris show, the IMC is your place to be. A whole evening of hip-hop from Central Illinois, with a huge lineup of artists slated to perform. I happened to catch some of these artists — JayyB, Ohwhit, and M4Ri — last weekend at another event, and they killed it, so this will be a great show. (SW)
Sunday, October 16th
See a screening of Jimmy in Saigon, Spurlock Museum, 1 p.m., free
Part of the AsiaLENS Film Series, Jimmy in Saigon details the “tragic death, radical life, and personal life of a 24-year-old Vietnam veteran who died in Saigon in 1972.” That veteran was Jimmy McDowell, a C-U native and graduate of University Laboratory High School. The film is by his younger brother Peter, also a Uni grad, who will be there for a discussion after. (JM)
Photo by Jesus Barajas.
Drink beer and learn about science, Riggs, 2 p.m., free to attend
Join speaker Alex Baldeon as he lectures about gut health as part of the Science on Tap, a discussion series for the community led by graduate students in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Sunday’s talk will focus on how habitual diet affects the human microbiome. The Urbana brewery offers draft pours of the American Lager, Hefeweizen, and more. This Sunday, find the food truck C&C Kitchen serving their delicious menu in Riggs’ parking lot. (AB).
Top photo from Champaign Park District Facebook page.
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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.