Culture

Tom goes hunting for a mystic orb of his very own and finds a host of options at Prairie Gardens.

Having found exactly where she wants to be in life, Champaign County Forest Preserve District Executive Director Lorrie Pearson enthusiastically shares the natural treasures that county residents can discover throughout the year.

N is for Number. A roll of the dice. A scratch-off to hold your breath for. The formula that describes the spirals of a pinecone. The charisma quotient of your Stout Halfling. And so much more.

BEST week continues with the best of Culture, a look at some of things we appreciated about life in C-U this year. 

We published a lot this year, and here are the ones that garnered the most attention traffic-wise.

Uptown Normal is a nice little shopping district just 50 miles to the west. 

The 2021 holiday season is upon us, and we have some recommendations for your gifting needs.

Literacy rates have drawn attention to how we teach children to read. The members of the East Central Illinois Chapter of Decoding Dyslexia have ideas backed by research about how to change the system so that everyone benefits.

Rithika speaks with Lindsay Haitz and Gina Johnson, the leaders of Blueprint, to gain a better understanding of the importance of mental healthcare and the variety of creative services they provide. 

Director Dawn Longfellow discusses the history, impact, and future of the campus staple addressing overlooked food insecurity and feeding the Champaign-Urbana community.

Julie takes a stroll around Lincoln Square Mall, noting how much has changed in recent years. 

Maggie Taylor discusses regenerative agriculture and autumn surprises are found at Delight Flower Farm.

Andrew recaps a rather gloomy October, one of the wettest on record.

Central Illinois did not escape the AIDS epidemic. A new exhibit at Spurlock Museum tells the stories of those who lost their lives. 

It's November already?

Two Champaign women share their experiences of providing care for their kids during the pandemic.

University of Illinois senior Alexa Smith recounts her experience writing and publishing a book during the pandemic while being a full-time student.

Tom meets all the unsavory creatures outside the Dallas & Company storefront and tries to rank them by spookiness.

Book sales at the Independent Media Center in Urbana will be hosted this Saturday and Sunday, with the proceeds going toward UC Books for Prisoners, a local organization that makes a statewide impact. 

Massage therapist and Reiki practitioner Jessica Nolen is encouraged to see “some movement back in the direction of holistic medicine as science is starting to catch up with ancient spiritual practices.”

Plantify owners Long Luu and Giang Pham discuss their store in downtown Champaign, plant care, and why we buy houseplants.

Andrew recaps a warm and dry September in C-U. 

Julie offers both tame and spine-tingling suggestions for your October.

Alyssa visited Soul Care Urban Retreat Center and shares about her experience.

Tom looks back on 10 action-packed years of living here.

Kate Kobak brings spunky, handmade fiber art to the C-U area.

Rae Spooner is sharing the story of her husband Ray's last days for a Compassion & Choices seminar next month.

Julie takes a look at Ken Layne's desert world in anticipation of his live Desert Oracle Radio Podcast this Friday at PYGMALION.

Jess chats with University of Illinois associate professor Dr. Nikki Usher about her new book,  News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism, and the state of news media in C-U.

With the onset of the pandemic and wide-spread uncertainty last year, Pride 2020 was a subdued online event. This year, with the theme of “What the Health,” C-U Pride plans to be louder than ever.

End of line, dear readers! After over 100 entries, Year of the Park comes to a close. Read on to learn what Publisher Seth Fein thinks are the Top 20 Best Parks in Champaign-Urbana.

Rithika chats with Sha'Tyra Hawkins about her creative idea of bringing the theater experience to personal homes through Chambana Backyard Movies. 

As we begin to unpack the parks that really have some value, we can be reminded that we are blessed with all that we have, and forget about all that we don't. At least for the moment. 

Beads N Botanicals owner, Catherine Novak, talked to Jaclyn about tarot and spiritual seeking during a pandemic, what to look for in a professional reader/intuitive guide, and what Novak and her team are doing to provide a safe experience for customers right now.

There are 82 publicly funded parks in Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy. Some of them are magnificent, and some of them are hey, pretty good! But there are others are sort of really bad. Counting down from 82, here's bottom 31 parks in our fair city. 

Two U of I students went all in at the 9/11 memorial stair climb, donning full firefighting gear to remember the first responders who sacrificed their lives during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Kim Bryan turned personal pain into community action through her organization Rattle the Stars. 

Here is the final installment of Year to the Park A to Z! Next week, we'll run down Worst to First to give it a nice shiny bow, but for now, these are “parks” that are not run by the park districts, but rather, our municipalities. Yes, it is confusing! 

Julie offer festival-goers a few suggestions for September. 

Champaign-Urbana seems an unlikely hub for this offbeat movement education system, but the Alexander Technique has thrived in our community for decades — and we're better for it.

Tucked into the north part of central Urbana, Crystal Lake Park's majesty is far too overlooked, and it's time we collectively change that. Build a bridge. It's time. 

While solar car racing isn't as well known as football on the University of Illinois campus, this student organization offers a chance for engineering students to make friends with and compete against students from other prestigious universities.

This park located near Windsor Road in Champaign is a decent one.

Mullikan Park is a park. You wish there was more information about this Mullikan character, because otherwise, there's nothing to really unpack. 

For now, Human Kinetics Park is closed down for construction. The future, which will be the Martens Center, is very very bright, and will be a much needed boost to the north side of Champaign. Generosity and planning together knows no bounds! 

High school band students are getting ready to take the field for the first time in two years. Two drumline members and a band director talk about the marching band culture behind every incredible performance.

Tom went to the YMCA charity Dump & Run, an unparalleled bazaar of objects each more fascinating and beautiful than the last. Here's the best stuff he saw, but didn't actually purchase while there.

Middlefork Forest Preserve is host to Illinois' only Dark Sky Park, which makes this particular spot in Champaign County unique. But that is hardly the only amenity that this beautiful preserve has to offer.