FRIDAY, May 1st
Parkland car show, Parkland College, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., $15
Door prizes, food, music, autocross, RC car demonstration, rain or shine. Plus cars. Lots of cars. Cars that you could probably see in The Fast and the Furious. If you’re a car lover, photographer, or someone with a free afternoon this is worthy of your time. Read more here. (SL)
Talk on Uncivil Speech, Red Herring (1209 W. Oregon, Urbana), 4 p.m., free
Kick off your weekend with a talk entitled “Uncivil Speech: Ferguson, Anti-Black Violence, and the Sound of a Scream” by Northwestern Professor Joshua Takano Chambers-Letson. Chambers-Letson will ask how we might learn to hear the threat and performance of insurgent violence in places like Ferguson as articulating both a refusal of the ongoing brutality of legally sanctioned anti-black violence, but also critical alternatives for being in the world together. (RP)
Unit 4 art teacher art show, Indigo, 6-9 p.m., free
Art teachers from the Unit 4 district are teaming up to bring you a variety of cool shit to look at. The show will run until May 9th but tonight is their opening reception. Stop by and check it out before heading downtown for a bite to eat. (SL)
May Day Sustainability Film Festival, Bevier Hall Auditorium (Room 180), 7-9:30 p.m., free
The Sustainability Living-Learning Community (LLC) is a residential community within University Housing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The community takes a holistic approach to educating the future leaders of the green movement by incorporating academic and experiential elements to provide students with avenues to explore their interests. With this, their inaugural May Day Sustainability Film Festival, they hope to educate, enlighten, and entertain our campus and community through the medium of film. We received 950 films from over 80 countries this season, and a team of students and professional staff have selected the very best of the bunch for the evening’s events. (RP)
Error Records Two Year Anniversary shows, Error Records, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $5-6
It’s hard to believe that Error Records has only been around for two years, but these two special anniversary shows should serve as a reminder not to take it for granted, but rather to celebrate its existence. Error set out to be a record store and all ages venue, so come buy some records and check out a hardcore show on Friday night with Hollow Earth, Meth Dealer, Uncertainties and Warrs, and another punk show Saturday night with Unwelcome Guests, Canadian Rifle and Bullnettle. (MR)
Appropriate, Station Theatre, 8 p.m., $10
Directed by Station vet Mike Prosise, this new play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will close out the Station’s regular season and run through May 9th. The synopsis, per the Station website: “Every estranged member of the Lafayette clan has descended upon the crumbling Arkansas homestead to settle the accounts of the newly-dead patriarch. As his three adult children sort through a lifetime of hoarded mementos and junk, they collide over clutter, debt, and a contentious family history. But after a disturbing discovery surfaces among their father’s possessions, the reunion takes a turn for the explosive, unleashing a series of crackling surprises and confrontations.” The play stars recurring Station players Carolyn Kodes-Atkinson, David Barkley, and Aaron Clark, among others. Call 217-384-4000 or visit the Station website for tickets. (MG)
The Room, The Art Theater Co-op, 10 p.m.
Dude, The Room is back. For four nights (May 1st & 2nd, 6th & 7th) everybody’s favorite terrible movie will be the late-night feature in downtown Champaign. Per the Art website: “Uninhibited by cinematic convention, this quirky cult favorite about lust and duplicity delivers nonstop laughs from beginning to end as the film’s central character (writer-director Tommy Wiseau) discovers that his foxy fiancée, Lisa (Juliette Danielle), is bedding his best friend. Adding to the hilarity are Greg Sestero, who plays the backstabbing buddy, and Carolyn Minnott as Lisa’s materialistic mom. THE ROOM is a movie so bad it’s perfect. Since it’s apocalyptic release 10 years ago, it’s been running in L.A. and has now taken the rest of the country by storm. Directed, written by, starring, & mysteriously financed by the singular Tommy Wiseau.” (MG)
SATURDAY, May 2nd
First Market of the Season, Urbana’s Market at the Square, corner of Illinois and Vine, 7 a.m.-12 p.m.
The outdoor market is back, which means spring is here and summer is at our heels. You can check out May’s Market Watch for a run down on what to expect, including all sorts of programming for kids and adults. This early in the season, expect to find some greens, plenty of crafts and handmade goods, and endless options for sweets. (JH)
Buy a used bike at the Community Used Bike Sale, Champaign Cycle, 10 a.m.
Support the Kickappo Rail Trail by when by gearing up for the nice weather with a new bike. Champaign Cycle is inspecting and helping to sell used bikes within the community and a portion of the proceeds of each bike sold is being donated to the construction of the Kickapoo Rail Trail. (TP)
Make some snacks and host a sports-watching (or anti-sports) event, your house, all day, prices vary
There are two significant sports happenings this weekend: the Kentucky Derby, and the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Apparently, people wager a lot of money on the winners and losers, which means a lot of stress eating and drinking. Corral your friends, pick up some Triptych growlers, make a few snacks, order some pizza (Pizza M, Jet’s, Vinny’s, Jupiter’s), turn on the TV. Conversely, you could avoid the sporting events and just have a party. (JH)
ILL Rock Block Party, Goodwin and Oregon in Urbana, 2 p.m., $35-45
The weather is going to be insanely nice on Saturday — perfect weather for an outdoor concert. The weather can make or break these kinds of things. Luckily the ILLrock Block Party is looking pretty sunny. If you don’t mind shelling out the cash, you can check out Big Sean outdoors on the corner of Goodwin and Oregon (near Canopy Club) with a bunch of other local and non-local acts. (MR)
Working, Urbana High School, 7 p.m.
Ever ambitious, Urbana High School’s drama program is finishing theschool year with a great show. (Great poster, too!) Per UHS: “Based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Studs Terkel, Working at UHS features 30 high school actors, each portraying adults in various careers and jobs — from an ironworker and UPS deliveryman to a hedge fund manager, a teacher, and a tech support team member. Through monologues, songs, and full-ensemble numbers, the characters explore the joys, dreams, fears, and frustrations that come with being working adults. In order to help the teen actors better understand the characters they’re playing, Director of Theatre Tim Broeker has given them the assignment of interviewing someone in the community who does the same type of work as their character.” The show opened April 29th and will continue through May 3rd. (MG)
SUNDAY, May 3rd
Illinifest Student Film Festival, Lincoln Hall on U of I’s campus, 1-6 p.m., free
Though we’re just a few weeks renoved from Ebertfest, there’s another film fest, albeit much smaller, happening on campus this weekend. Illinifest Student Film Festival is organized by University of Illinois students to showcase films made by students from colleges all over the state, and is happening this Sunday on campus. It’ll take place in the recently-ish rennovated Lincoln Hall with panels, films, discussions and things of the like throughout the afternoon. You can check out all of the information above — seems like a cool way to spend your Sunday. (PS)
Music and More Fundraiser for Nepal, First Mennonite Church, Urbana, 3-5 p.m.
There’s a disaster relief fundraiser happening at First Mennonite Church in Urbana, complete with music and arts to help aid those experiencing the tragedy. Check out all the information at the Facebook event above. (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.