FRIDAY, June 10th
Nikki Lane w/ Rebecca Rego + The Trainmen, The Accord, 8 p.m., $10 Advance/$13 Door, 19+
Nikki Lane is rapidly becoming one of the best folk singers in the country, and this Friday, we can all be witness to her rise. Joined by Rebecca Rego + The Trainmen, one of C-U’s most polished and folkier acts, this show is sure to not disappoint. (BH)
Shrimp Po Boy, bacaro, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or sold out, $15
Bacaro has really made a thing of these Friday lunches, and we’re all better for it. This week’s lunch is straight out of New Orleans, and with this weekend’s heat, it might feel like you’re there. Served with house-made fries and a fancy soda, you’ll have everything need to start your weekend off right. Image from Facebook. (JH)
Possible Worlds a new exhibition by Travis Hocutt, [co][lab] 206 W. Main St., Urbana, anytime, free
I wandered through Travis’ collection of chemically silvered glass mirrors, and I could have spent a lot longer looking if I hadn’t been so hungry. I will go back when I am not so I can examine all the ways the images change depending on light, angle, and reflection. Gorgeous. (RK)
SATURDAY, June 11th
Live mural painting, Spalding Skate Park, Champaign, 12-2 p.m., free
Live painting is a facinating event and if you’ve never been you should head out to the skate park this Saturday to check it out. There will be seven artists taking their tools of the trade and creating something wonderful before your eyes. There will also be face painting and inflatables for the kids. (SL)
Adopt a kittie, Hospice Hearts at Pet’s Plus 2821 W Kirby Ave, Champaign, 1-4 p.m.
Hospice Hearts is a local group that takes in animals who’s owners are sick. They care for them and find them a new home. This weekend they are putting on a tea-time event for you to meet some of their lovable kittens. Stop into Pet’s Plus, have some tea, cookies and lemonade and hang out with some adorable, lovable kittens and cats and maybe even consider taking one of these bundles of fur home with you. More infor on the Facebook event page. (SL)
Red Hot Summerfest, Cowboy Monkey, 2 p.m., free
Saturday is the final day of Cowboy Monkey’s Red Hot Summerfest, and it will feature an outdoor block party. The festivities are free and family-friendly, and include performances by 90’s Daughter and Brat Pack. Proceeds for the event go to benefit the extremely cool First Gig Rock and Roll Camp for Kids, who, at 2 p.m., will perform the final concert of their camp at Summerfest. Come support music education while sunning in the gorgeous beer garden. (JM)
Long Lost, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana, 2 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., $25 or less
This weekend is your one chance to this play in this incarnation. Still in development, The Sullivan Project lets its playwright see the characters come to life in a full production — the side benefit is that we do, too. Two estranged brothers experience a reunion over one long day that promises to explore the limits of human compassion. Each of the four actors is star-quality, but to me, the “good” brother’s son is the unexpected standout. (RK)
Lemon garlic greens salad, The Bread Company, 5-11 p.m., $7.50
This is my most favorite salad in the world. I’m not kidding. It’s so delicious. And refreshing, with all that citrusy goodness. And healthy, with all those green leaves. Treat yourself to a lovely meal at Bread Co., and be sure to order this salad. I promise you won’t regret it. Photo by Jessica Hammie. (JH)
Emily Blue w/ Crofton Coleman, Evan Opitz and Total Disconnect, 8 PM, The Accord, Free, 19+
Emily Blue, lead singer of Tara Terra and Boycut, will be joined on stage by some of the best young solo talent in C-U, including Church Booty’s Crofton Coleman and The Phantom Broadcast’s Evan Opitz. Plus it’s free so you don’t really have an excuse not to come. (BH)
SUNDAY, June 12th
8th Annual Crawfish Boil, Crane Alley, 1 – 5 p.m., $20 in advance
Tickets are now available for Crane Alley’s all-you-can-eat annual crawfish boil. They overnight Louisiana crawfish and then boil them in seasoned stock with Andouille sausage, bell peppers, potatoes, onions and corn. A beer truck with six brews from Stone Brewing Co. and an outdoor bar will be serving up Hurricanes and Red Bull specials all day. (RP)
IMCubator Open Stage, Independent Media Center, 8 p.m., free
The Independent Media Center is kicking it this Sunday with an all-ages community open mic. They encourage you to bring your talents, props, instruments, etc., and sign up to perform a 10-minute mini-set of your work, whether it’s music, theater, dance, poetry, magic tricks, or all of the above. (RP)
Binge on the Pygmalion Music Lineup, anywhere, free
C-U’s very own Pygmalion Festival has announced its hotly anticipated music lineup, and if you’re like me, you’re pumped. This weekend could be very well-spent listening to as many of the announced artists as possible. With acts like Wolf Parade, Vince Staples and Car Seat Headrest, any music geek would be fully justified in dedicating a good chunk of time over the next few days to discovering some excellent new tunes. After all, if you’re the sort of show-goer who wants needs to sing along with each and every song, you’ve got to start early. (JM)
———
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.