FRIDAY, July 10th
Diarrhea Planet, Single Player, 8 p.m., The Highdive, $12
Diarrhea Planet has existed longer than a band called Diarrhea Planet ever should. The Nashville six-piece made it big with its breakout album, 2013’s I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, gaining critics’ attention with their stage-presence and undeniably catchy songs. They’re gonna tear up the Highdive this weekend. (MR)
Observatory open house, U of I Observatory, 9-11 p.m., free
If the weather’s nice, the kind folks at the Observatory will pull back the dome and let us take a gander at Saturn. Bonus views of Sagittarius. (If you like that sort of thng. All good people are partial to Cancer, of course.) (AH)
SATURDAY, July 11th
Buy some Toffee Trash, A Toffee Tale, Urbana’s Market at the Square, 7 a.m.-noon, $6
You’ve probably seen the ridiculous looking castle tent up at the market. It’s absurd, really, but what’s even more absurd is how damn delicious the toffee is. And it’s not cheap. But it’s so good. So you should find a middle ground: toffee trash. The bits and pieces that get scraped out of the pan after cutting up the “real toffee” are placed into large mason jars and sold for $6. These are not whole pieces of toffee, but rather small crunchies that make for excellent toppings on ice cream, brownies, and spoons. (JH)
Go Fishing, anytime, multiple destinations, a one time fee of about $15
As a kid, fishing used to be simple. Now that you’re an adult, there are more hoops to jump through. First, you’ll need a fishing license. You can apply online, 24 hours a day, here. You’ll need your social security number or your drivers license number and about 5 minutes later and about $16 out you’ll have printed your own Illinois residential fishing license. Now that you’re legal, read about what you can catch, keep, and eat here. There are many places to fish in the CU area: Crystal Lake Park, Kaufmann lake, Lake of the Woods, and even Clinton Lake. Pro tip: you can buy live worms at the Cirlce K gas station on the corner of Bloomington Rd. and Prospect Ave. Happy fishing! (SL)
Peach pie, Market at the Square, 7 a.m.-12 p.m., $8
It’s peach time at the Market at the Square. What’s better than fresh peaches, you might wonder? Peaches that have been loaded with sugar and baked into a crust. The folks at Mileur Orchard are now offering peach pies and crumbles to take home (see side photo for evidence of awesomeness). You could grab a container of peaches and be content. Or you could add a pie because, you know, treat yourself.(AH)
Arts at the Market, morning-ish, Urbana Farmers Market, free
Samuel Payne and Claire Johnson will be performing Old Time bluegrass music while Ellie Pizarrone and Maria Ludeke demonstrate veggie stamping and help folks create their own works of art. Join Arts at the Market on Walnut Street near the northwest entrance of the Urbana Farmer’s Market. (RK)
Illinois Summer Youth Music Performances, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., free
Watch some of the most talented youth musicians demonstrate the skills they’ve learned throughout a week of intensive training. Jazz bands, piano and string recitals, chorus and more will perform on the different stages within Krannert Center all through the day. (RK)
CLAW: Champaign Ladies Amateur Wrestling, 6 p.m., Mike N Molly’s, $10
If you’ve been wanting to see some amateur wrestling by the likes of Dusty Bazongas, The Thighmaster, and an enormous slice of pizza, you’re in luck. Saturday’s show will be the first for CLAW: Champaign Ladies Amateur Wrestling, which was recently fully funded via Kickstarter. Music by Bookmobile! to boot! (RP)
Champaign Music Fest, 6 p.m., Downtown Champaign, free
You might’ve heard by now that SMASHMOUTH is playing a FREE show this weekend, along with Toad The Wet Sprocket, Curb Service and Brandon T. Washington. You might think you’re too good for an “All Star” singalong (shame on you). You might feel the need to the throw bread. But I think you’d have more fun if you threw caution to the wind and went to the fest in full-body green paint and wearing Shrek ears. I’m sure Dallas & Company could help. (MR)
Undercut Collective‘s First Outdoor Show, Airbana alley (next to Colab), 6:30 p.m., $5
The Undercut Collective, a program designed to organize concerts for teens in C-U, is presenting its first outdoor concert this Saturday in Urbana’s new graffiti alley. The concert will feature A Cool Hand, Logan & Lucille, Sleeping Cranes, and Jack Anthony Johnston as well as a poetry reading from Marshall Allston-Yeagle. (RP)
Tara Terra, Euriah, 9:30 p.m., Mike N Molly’s, $7
Tara Terra returns from a tour that saw them head out towards the East Coast and they’re back for a homecoming show that should be out in the best beer garden in Champaign. Euriah shares the bill and they’ll bring their midwestern emo out in full force. It should be a great way to close down the night after a raucous debut from CLAW. (TP)
SUNDAY, July 12th
50% off bread, Pekara, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., but product moves quickly, prices vary
Remember when we told you about the BEST kept secret? That Pekara bread is 50% on Sunday? Yeah, you should pick some up. And make some kick ass toast next week. (JH)
Catch up on life, 1 hour, anytime today
School ended, you graduated so you went on a trip, then 4th of July came along. Not to mention you’ve been going out to the Blind Pig, like, every night (that it didn’t rain). Your house is a mess; your email is a mess; your photo catalogue on your computer is a mess. It is time for you to take a few hours and do some house keeping. Whether it be your home, car, or computer, take an hour today and tidy up your life before the next big thing comes along. Trust me, you’ll feel better. (SL)
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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.