Janice Weldon has lived in Champaign for most of her life. She’s a self taught artist, mother, and digital illustrator with a love for skating. feralFLORALS was created as a result of encouraging her kids …
Janice Harrington has lived in Champaign-Urbana since the 1980s, working at both the Urbana Free Library and the Champaign Public Library. Currently she is a Professor of English at the University of Illinois and an …
Just because food has a cheap price doesn’t mean it’s lackluster. Of course, there are some pretty terrible things to eat that are cheap, but thankfully, there are good eats for low prices. In this …
Let our editors help plan your weekend.
This year will be a big one for politics in our nation; if you haven’t heard, this year we elect a president. It will be stressful, but there are plenty of state and local politics …
Sometimes food is boring, but not at The Space restaurant. In Downtown Champaign, The Space serves a menu of smashburgers, sandwiches, and apps with outlandish twists in addition to crazy specials — usually as a …
Whether you want to hunker down or brave the winter weather, we have plenty of options for your weekend.
*The application period for this position has closed. Thank you for your interest! Champaign-Urbana has a vibrant arts community, one that includes the University of Illinois as well as Parkland. We are looking for an …
January is a complicated month, isn’t it? Some people make grand resolutions, some completely avoid them, and others (like me) are just trying to remember what day it is after all the holiday hullabaloo. The …
The Overture is a rundown of live music and performances happening in and around Champaign-Urbana each week. All of the information is as accurate as we can publish; however, all shows and performances are subject …
This month, the whole BFL is devoted to the Lincoln Building in downtown Champaign. A stately edifice with a long history. A BUILDING The Lincoln Building (44 E. Main St. Champaign) Right on Main Street, …
I’m very passionate about music and respect it as an indelible art form, no matter the genre. I often say that no one can say whether art or music is good or bad; you can …
This year in Food & Drink, we reviewed 75 restaurants, published 13 interviews, shared 42 lists, and wrote 291 SPlog posts about food. We do our best to publish fresh looks at restaurants, coffee shops, …
When I first took this position as Culture Editor, I kept asking myself: What exactly is the best way to sum up the culture of Champaign-Urbana? Where should I start? It turns out, what makes …
This was my first year as arts editor, and I was thoroughly impressed by the excellent events and initiatives that highlighted the talent present in the Champaign-Urbana arts community. Although 2022 saw the beginning of …
ICYMI, we’ve begun our second donation campaign. We are so grateful for all of you who have contributed this week! This time around we are offering a $50 gift card to Martinelli’s Market Bakery and Deli in …
There are lots of opportunities to eat, drink, and be merry this weekend.
As we thought about what we wanted to see in Champaign-Urbana for 2024, we kept coming back to similar things we wished for in 2022 and 2023. We realized that these issues are important enough …
Operating since the 1970s and a favorite of mine since about 1998, the Brown Bag is a hole-in-the-wall deli one wouldn’t expect to find in Piatt County, Illinois. As a product of Piatt County, I was …
Cake lovers in Champaign-Urbana know The Cake Artist’s Studio and its tasty sweets. Ashlee Roderick Freeburg is The Cake Artist, and she’s been making cakes for more than 20 years in the same Champaign studio. …
Monday, December 4th Jason Finkelman Presents: Improviser’s Exchange ► Rose Bowl Tavern // tips in bucket // 5:30 p.m. Dive into a world of spontaneous creativity with Jason Finkelman’s Improviser’s Exchange. Finkelman gathers a host …
This fall, we launched our very first donation campaign, with no sort of expectation, really. We were overwhelmed with the outpouring of support — not just the monetary donations, but the kind words of encouragement we received …
Enjoy this first weekend of December with suggestions from our editors.
Each year, our Editorial Board takes a moment to reflect on what’s been happening in our community over the past year. We’ve looked back at our 2023 Wishlist, considered some of the topics we’ve tackled …
AIDS awareness and activism has a long and important history here in Champaign-Urbana, thanks in particular to the work of Joan Lathrap (who just recently passed) and Julie Pryde at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, …
The dates for Experience Champaign-Urbana’s Restaurant Week 2024 have been announced: January 26th through February 3rd. For nine days, restaurants across Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, and Mahomet will participate in the annual food event. Many will …
Champaign County Forest Preserve District (CCFPD), Vermilion County Conservation District (VCCD), and Urbana Park District (UPD) have been awarded $11.2 million to complete the remainder of the Kickapoo Rail Trail. The funding will come from …
National French Toast Day is tomorrow, November 28th, and no one should wake up uninformed about where to find local eggy toast. In 2018, Rob wrote two French toast lists (here and here), and I’ve …
Thanksgiving is happening this week, which officially marks the beginning of the holiday season. With all of the big stores pushing “Black Friday” sales and doing their best to compete for your attention, we like …
My list of favorite books changes frequently depending on my mood and season of life. One that nearly always tops the list is a novel by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ called Stay with Me. Whenever I recommend …
On Saturday, November 4th, with more than 200 people in attendance, a team of researchers from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois launched the first public quantum network in the entire …
I am very excited about next week. Mostly because I get to bring my first child home from college for the first time since I dropped her off. But in second place is the fact …
We have a little something for everyone in this installment of The Weekender.
It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means it’s almost time for the holiday season. For many, this is a time for reflection, and if you are able, to give back to the community. The last few years …
In the vibrant music scene of Champaign-Urbana, bands come and go, leaving their unique imprints on the hearts and ears of the local community. Silverweed, a band that blended Americana, folk, and a dash of …
Jamie L. Jones is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois and is a researcher in the fields of the environmental humanities and U.S. literature. This summer, her first book Rendered Obsolete: Energy Culture …
Since 1979, The Ribeye has served steak on Neil Street. Though I have lived in Champaign-Urbana for a decade, I’d never visited The Ribeye before this review. My family loves a steakhouse, and my youngest …
Earlier this week, daylight savings time ended, and we all set our clocks back one hour. Now, if you wake up at 6:30 a.m., it won’t be as dark, but daylight hours will get shorter …
Ah, November. Whether you are eyeing the end of the school or academic semester and the chaos that brings, or preparing for the barrage of holidays, it’s safe to say the last two months of …
The housing problems facing Champaign-Urbana residents are nothing short of a crisis. For renters in particular, the price of living in our community is out of control. While landlords and owners may blame inflation, even a …
Tucked away under Yugo apartments and guest suites in Urbana at the corner of University and Lincoln Avenue, many of you have likely driven right by BakeLab, though likely fewer have had the chance to …
On Sunday at 2 a.m., Daylight Savings Time will end, and we will set all the clocks — though many set themselves at this point — back one hour. It will mean we get an extra hour …
No matter what your interest, we surely have a suggestion for your weekend.
The Hawaiians have a saying: from mauka to makai. Uka is mountain and kai is ocean, and the proverb reminds us that everything is connected. There are no mountains in Illinois, but for Lanialoha Lee, …
November is coming in cold, which is rude. It’s still technically fall season, but it sure feels like winter already. This month, we need foods and drinks that will sustain us on freezing, cold days. …
It’s Halloween, and this evening kids of all ages and their caregivers will take to the sidewalks of C-U and beyond to, in the words of Jerry Seinfeld, “get candy, get candy, get candy.” Have …
Multiple options for consumers are a good thing. Competition encourages businesses to strive for excellence, provide value for your hard-earned money, and set themselves apart from the clutter to earn repeat business. When I hear …
The second production of the Station Theater’s 2023–24 season opened on October 26th. The play Without Rule of Law (WROL) is about a group of eighth graders who take a stand against environmental and social …
Halloween is approaching, and surely many of you will be acknowledging the holiday in some sort of way. Maybe, your choice of festivities will require that you don a costume of some sort. According to …
