Smile Student Living has added to the list of murals they’ve had painted on Campustown apartments, as part of their Smile for the Arts initiative. Last summer, artist Rafael Blanco created the “Dance On Illinois” …
We are in the midst of Pride Fest week in Champaign-Urbana, and that culminates in a whole bunch of events this week from Queer Homecoming to the Pride Fest Fair and Parade, to a Drag Show. To see …
If you are into all the spidey things, this looks like it’s a pretty cool event. From the event description: Featuring a soundtrack that blends symphonic orchestral music with hip-hop, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Live …
Get excited because beignets are coming to the streets of Champaign-Urbana with the launch of Stango Bites, a new C-U food truck by Stango Cuisine. The food truck will have a curated menu of popular …
If you missed the first meeting of the latest round of Solar Urbana-Champaign, there are three more opportunities to learn about the program coming up in October. The program is offered by the City of …
This year, the Fall Open House will feature tea ceremonies hosted by the Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association, a presentation by Linda Mosley, artist and teacher of ceramics and chado, and garden tours by Susan Kapacinskas. …
The Champaign Public Library is throwing an open house to celebrate The Studio, a new 8,000 square foot space for teens in the lower level of the Library. “The design includes creative tools like 3D …
Experts with the Illinois Department of Agriculture have identified the spotted lanternfly in Illinois, in Cook County, which means you might eventually find them down this way. Like terrible ex-boyfriends, ex-girlfriends, and former roommates, the …
If you are the leader, development person, or board member for a nonprofit, Building Endowments 101 on October 10th at 1 p.m. will address two questions: what is an endowment, and should we have one? …
On Sunday, October 1st, WEFT Fest 2023 will unfold as a day-long event that serves multiple purposes for the community of East Central Illinois. This gathering is not just an ordinary festival; it’s a cornerstone …
This Saturday, taste Caribbean Grill‘s delicious island cuisine one last time. The Neil Street restaurant closed last summer, but this Saturday — and this Saturday only — Caribbean Grill is re-opening for one final lunch …
If you are into Halloween-y sorts of movies, whether scary or gory or silly or all of those, then the Normal Theater in Uptown Normal the place for you in October. They are showing 29 …
As we are a community magazine, Smile Politely is always welcoming new writers into the fold, and that, of course, includes our Food & Drink section. What’s required? It’s helpful to have some writing ability, …
The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, with the City of Urbana and some other agencies, are asking for your help with planning for improvements on Lincoln Avenue between Green Street and Florida Avenue. The Lincoln …
Last year, Champaign-Urbana native and former host of NPR’s Here and Now Jeremy Hobson debuted a four-part series called The Middle, which launched from Illinois Public Media’s studios in the midst of the 2022 election …
US Ambulances for Ukraine was founded by OSF HealthCare Vice President of Government Relations Chris Manson, as a way to support the country as the war with Russia continues. They’ve delivered 67 vehicles, including ambulances, …
Resist Erasure: Art by and for 2SLGBTQIA+ Thriving is the newest exhibit at Artists’ Alley at the McKinley Foundation. The exhibit is made up of works by area high school and college students and features …
The annual Disability Resource Expo is happening on October 28th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Marketplace Mall, and organizers are looking for some folks to help make the event run smoothly. Since 2007, …
Current blood supply is critically low. If you are a human with blood and meet the donor requirements (which were updated this year to be more inclusive), please donate blood. The Urbana blood donation center …
On October 5th, there is going to be a film screening of the 2022 documentary The Price of Conflict at Spurlock Museum. The film is directed by Volodymyr Sydko, and “is dedicated to the economic …
It looks like Champaign is going to be getting this cookie chain that the people are going crazy about (shout out to Chambanamoms for bringing this to my attention). The storefront that once belonged to …
Afghan Cuisine will open their very own restaurant in Champaign this week, anticipated for Friday, September 29th. In the space where El Toro II used to be near Titan Games, the new restaurant serves a …
Friends, we are in peak cultural season in Champaign-Urbana, and I am very excited to be here. After a fantastic ELLNORA weekend, we are now in the thick of PYGMALION. If you missed last night’s festivities, DO NOT FEAR! …
The Preservation and Conservation Library introduced their new, unofficial non-binary mascot. Meet Ash (they/them), Ash is an illustrated character by @danikey_art. they were created to reflect the library’s diverse workforce and illustrate what the librarians …
This week, the Illinois Art Education Association named nine recipients as the Best Art Educators in Illinois. Among the winners are Kamila Glowacki who was awarded Art Education Museum Educator of the Year, and Melissa …
Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Brian Williams, of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and The 11th Hour with Brian Williams fame, will be a visiting guest of the University of Illinois College of Media on …
The Craft League of Champaign-Urbana is hosting their 40th annual Art Fair on November 4th and 5th. Held at the Savoy Recreation Center, this is the oldest, continuously running art show in the area. This …
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is coming up on October 9th, and there will be two days of programming at Spurlock Museum, as well as some events at Native American House and Illinois Street Residence Hall. Here …
Dave’s Hot Chicken opened last week on Neil Street in front of Harvest Market. I live in the neighborhood and was excited yet nervous to try it. There is no drive-through, but the staff were …
Have you made the trip to Arthur to visit The Great Pumpkin Patch? It was one of our favorites places to take the kids when they were little. I’ve always enjoyed how spacious and spread …
Common Ground has launched a “link match” food access program to compliment their current Food for All program. They are partnering with an organization from Chicago, Experimental Station, to provide this new option. According to …
Perhaps you’ve noticed a robustness in our Music section recently. We are just coming off of ELLNORA, the epic biennial guitar festival, and this weekend a diverse array of music acts are headed to town …
The micro-mobility transportation company Bird’s e-bikes are now available in Champaign. Shoutout to Champaign Showers, who found these rentable Bird bikes in Downtown Champaign: BIRD. (also new bikes just dropped. competition for veo?!?) https://t.co/S35KDF5zye — …
Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) researchers are finding that the balance issues older adults often have are not entirely about muscle weakness. It has to do with changes and brain activity. From CI …
Be sure to save some space on your calendar the last two weekends of October, because Staerkel Planetarium is bringing laser shows back after a lengthy hiatus. October 20th and 21st and October 27th and …
If you put Hamilton Walker’s macaroni and cheese in a Fork-Marry-Kill situation, I’m going to marry it every time. Always on the menu, it’s reliable, and it satisfies — truly, marriage material. The pasta shape …
On Thursday you can watch the nonpartisan documentary, No Time to Fail, about what it was like to be a poll worker in the 2020 election. This film, hosted by the League of Women Voters …
Car seats are one of the most necessary and one of the pricier items you need when you have a baby, and you have to replace them as that baby gets bigger and becomes a …
Humanities Research Institute is inviting three people whose organizations are working to respond to community needs, especially those related to health care, addiction, and incarceration. A panel discussion on October 5th, at 7:30 p.m., will …
Interested in how physical objects tell the story of music? Dr. Dwandalyn R. Reece will be discussing the often-overlooked material culture of African-American music, from musical instruments to promotional toys. Her approach uses McClung Fleming’s …
This Saturday, September 23rd, The Land Connection will host a four-course harvest dinner showcasing Central Illinois foods. At The Space restaurant in Downtown Champaign, Ian Nutting and Doug Hodge will cook a seasonal meal using …
Apparently September 16th was International Red Panda Day. In honor of that day, Miller Park Zoo shared these incredibly adorable photos of their red pandas, Burma and China. They are an endangered species, native to …
Illinois Humanities is partnering with community organization First Followers and Renaldo Hudson as part of an Envisioning Justice Activation event. This event plans to “highlight the importance of including perspectives from individuals serving long-term sentences …
The FOX Big Noon Kickoff show was supposed to be broadcasting from Champaign for the Illinois-Penn State football game. At the last minute, they reversed course and are sticking with Colorado, where they were last …
We are nearing the end of our first donation campaign, and to say we are thrilled and grateful would be an understatement. More than 140 of you have chipped in, and that’s amazing. We honestly didn’t …
The leaves have not yet begun to fall, but these chilly morning temps are a reminder that the time will soon be upon us. Champaign and Urbana have both announced their fall yard waste pickup …
Since 1993, Illinois Public Media and University Laboratory High School have collaborated on oral history projects that do a deep dive into a specific topic. The work begins with the subfreshman class interviewing people in …
The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission has funds available for income-eligible households to receive help paying their energy bills. The Low-Income Household Energy Assistance Program is for households at or below 200 percent of the federal …
As a long time Champaign resident and University of Illinois alumna, I have heard about the Morrow Plots, America’s oldest experimental field, for a long time. But yesterday, the Illinois Alumni Facebook page shared some …
