SPlog

Throughout the academic year, the Illini Union Art Gallery features the work of both local and national artists, and U of I faculty, staff, and students. They are now accepting application for artists for 2023-2024. …

Anniversary Plaza, in front of the Illini Union, will be the setting for the PBS NewsHour special Tipping Point: Agriculture on the Brink on Wednesday, May 24th, beginning at 6 p.m. It will stream on …

The restaurant Mama Meta’s Canteen served African-inspired, American-infused cuisine by Lauren Mulowayi. All food was takeout only, and diners picked up at The Refinery in Champaign. The kitchen has been closed for awhile, but the …

Tomorrow, May 23rd, the City of Urbana is launching a photography program called Urbana in Focus that invites community members to capture the essence of the city. If your image is selected, you may see …

On May 5th, the Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology hosted an opening reception for their 13th Art of Science exhibition. Each year, the institute draws from their portfolio of research images, enhancing them …

I’m familiar with African and Latin American countries as sources for coffee beans, and have tried several of Columbia Street Roastery’s single origin varieties from countries like Brazil, Guatamala, Ethiopia, Burundi, but I’ve never thought …

Manifest West, consisting of four members, Cade Whitt, Nick Riley, Coggan Banerian, and Hadee Krad, released their debut single, “I-72”, across all major streaming platforms this past Friday, May 19th. This marks the band’s first …

VeoRide bikes – those turquoise electric bikes that are often seen on various street corners – are going to be allowed to operate on the University of Illinois campus for the first time this summer …

Delight Flower Farm just announced their first Artist-in-Residence will be Anna Gutsch of Urbana-based Pipapo. Gutsch and her husband create hand painted birch jewelry and home decor that reflect nature’s beauty. The one week residency …

Yes, it’s already time to start thinking about PYGMALION, and one of my favorite components of the festival: The Made Fest. If you are an artist or maker and would like to sell your wares …

On Saturday, June 10th, from 1 to 3 p.m., Common Ground Food Co-op is hosting their latest virtual cooking class. This time around, you get to learn to make cheese, which feels like a very …

The last place I’d expect delicious doughnuts is a bar, but the new breakfast hour at Esquire Lounge is it. Esquire just started offering morning specials: chorizo breakfast burritos and doughnuts. Yesterday, I ordered both …

Parkland’s CobraVenture Pitch Showcase was earlier this week, where a cohort of student entrepreneuers presented their business ideas to a panel of judges from the college and the community. Rebecca Smith was selected as the …

Yesterday, the Visit Champaign County Foundation hosted their annual Toast To Tourism event, honoring businesses and organizations in the community that have made a positive impact on both tourism opportunities and quality of life for …

The Busey Bank Bridge Scholarship is available to low to moderate income students who are pursuing higher education. The application is now open through June 30th, and here in Illinois, those from Champaign, McLean, Peoria, …

Watson’s Shack & Rail is hosting a Woodford Reserve Whiskey Tasting on Tuesday, May 24th at 8 p.m. The evening will include six pours: Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Woodford Double Oak, Wheated Bourbon, Malt Whiskey, Rye, …

On Friday, May 26th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Douglass Branch Library is hosting its monthly Friday Night Jam Sessions for performing artists, with the support of the Champaign County Community Coalition, Don …

Studies published in Environmental Bioinformatics and F1000Research have indicated that COVID-19 has a seasonal pattern, due to global change and genetics, respectively. Both studies were authored by Gustavo Caetano-Anollés, professor in crop sciences and affiliate …

This billboard on Neil Street in Champaign makes me feel weird. The ad reads, “Who’s your Papa now?” Feels kind of aggressive to me and awfully nosy, to be honest. After some self reflection, I’m …

Last month, high school students from Centennial and Central joined med students at Carle Illinois College of Medicine to learn the ins and outs of the medical professions. The high schoolers, part of the AVID …

On Tuesday, I went to Danville (the first time since High School volleyball games). The person I was meeting told me we could meet at Obsidian Coffee. I typed the name into my GPS but …

Yesterday, Summer Camp founder, organizer, and promoter Ian Goldberg released a statement about the festival’s decision to go on hiatus after this year. Summer Camp has been a Central Illinois institution for over twenty years, …

Let me start by saying I’m no transportation or urban planning expert, not by any stretch. I follow a couple of interesting transit accounts on Twitter that get me excited and thinking more about how …

Here’s another one of those “hooray it’s summer” moments, just like the boat dock opening at Crystal Lake Park. I’ve written before about my love of patio dining at Hamilton Walker’s. It’s a great spot …

Thirsty for new tastes, I ordered two of the new seasonal cocktails at Bentley’s Pub, the charming Downtown Champaign bar with stiff drinks. Made with gin, maraschino liqueur, and lemon juice, the stratosphere ($8) was …

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District recently released their 2022 annual report, and even just a quick glance of it illustrates the wide swath of services that they provide for the community. We’ve shared about many …

The grand opening for Sugga Shaii’s Sweets food truck will be next Sunday, May 28th from 1 to 6 p.m. at Riggs Beer in Urbana. Sugga Shaii’s Sweets makes some very delicious desserts, and the …

Okay, so for real, this is awesome. This summer, Allerton is offering Camp Lost Garden, a weekend long summer camp for grown ups. It has fun kid summer camp things, such as: But also, there’s …

Just recently, I wrote about researchers at Beckman Institute finding that a regular yoga practice can improve executive functioning, and in turn improve short term memory. It also confirmed that it does indeed reduce stress …

This Saturday, May 20th, the community is invited to The Crow at 110 gallery to see the AIR Art Show. AIR is Alliance for Inclusion and Respect, and it’s a community collaboration that “is cultivating …

Have you seen it yet? It’s a giant gumball machine, with wrapped candies hanging from the ceiling. Take a look: You can also watch this short video that takes you through the install, posted on …

Canadian musician, producer, and YouTube sensation Andrew Huang has been making waves in the music industry with his educational and entertaining videos. With a whopping 2.3 million subscribers, his channel is a hub for all …

The Spurlock Museum, The Champaign and Urbana Park Districts, Urbana Arts and Culture, and 40 North are collaborating to host The Great Artdoors which award grants to 11 local artists. Each $1000 stipend will be …

Moccasin Creek Festival is an annual 4-day music festival held June 22nd through June 25th at Lake Sara in Effingham, Illinois. The festival celebrates great songwriters and Americana music, featuring genres like folk, bluegrass, alt-country, …

As part of their summer Musical Food Tour, Monarch Events Center, formerly the Monarch Brewing Company, is hosting Tango and Tapas on May 25th. The event will feature a tango band, a performance by local …

Last night marked the debut of a brand new band, comprised of three friends who share a strong musical bond with one another. Despite their very direct ties to the venue and their plethora of …

THOTCRIME, a multinational cybergrind quartet with ties to Champaign-Urbana, is gearing up for their upcoming tour in June. In support of their album, D1G1T4L_DR1FT, the band plans to perform in various cities from the East …

Juneteenth is coming up June 19th, and MTD is launching an exhibit commemorating the celebration. From the press release: MTD’s Juneteenth Bus hits the streets today and offers the community a chance to read about …

During the day, you can find me at my other job as a reference librarian at the International Area Studies Library on campus. Imagine my surprise when I took a closer look this morning at …

After three years and $348 million in federal funding, the University of Illinois’ non-profit organization SHIELD Illinois is shutting down. Federal COVID mandates and emergency resources ended today, May 11th.  SHIELD offered saliva testing for …

The city is trying to encourage the 43 registered neighborhood groups in Champaign to become more active with a three-pronged campaign. From their newsletter, The Champaign Insider: Each of the City’s 43 registered groups are …

ISHI, the omakase restaurant in Champaign, announced that after this (Commencement and Mother’s Day) weekend, the Japanese restaurant will temporarily close for a summer break. Later in the summer, the owner plans to reopen the …

Do you remember this longrunning magazine show that ran on WILL? It debuted in 1992, and ran until 2010, and featured profiles of people and places in downstate Illinois, as well as music performances. Prairie …

Namken Nutrition is a shop that offers prepared meals with a focus on balanced and affordable options, and the Decatur business will be adding an Urbana location in Stone Creek Commons at the corner of …

Achilles Delgado and Simon Hamilton, two students at Urbana High School, were both recognized as part of the Congressional Art Competition earlier this week. Each year, the Congressional Institute sponsors a high school visual art …

The annual Hogchute Opry is Saturday, June 3rd at the Kalyx Center in Monticello. Festivities kick off at 3 p.m. The lineup includes: Tickets are $20. Follow along on Facebook for updates. Hogchute OpryKalyx Center436 …

The next Spring Residential Electronics Collection Event is coming up on May 20th, and you can still make a reservation to show up and get rid of all that random electronics stuff gathering dust and …

Last week, agriculture students at Parkland planted one of the fields that is part of United Way of Champaign County’s Farmers Feeding Families program. Part of 80 acres of land they rent from Unit 4, …