Friday, February 8th
Check out the opening of Natalie Pivoney’s new exhibit Hard to Place, City of Urbana Building, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., free
Pivoney’s collection of new oil paintings feature local Midwestern landscapes and architecture that may evoke a sense of déjà vu. Her titles (addresses without town names) underscore the artist’s vision of a “unified, rural Illinois, not just a single city.” (DD) Photo from the Artist of the Corridor program Facebook page.
Eat pizza and sing karaoke, Star Karaoke, all night, price will vary depending on number of people
Way back when, I suggested that you try the kimchi tofu pizza at Star Karaoke. That might be a big ask, but I suggest that you round up a couple of friends and head to Star Karaoke for an evening of singing the songs of your youth while eating pizza of your choice. Sure, there are plenty of other tasty Korean food options there, too, but pizza is the easiest to shovel into your mouth between the chorus of Baby One More Time or 99 Red Balloons or Return of the Mack. (JH) Top photo by Jessica Hammie
Future of Tech in C-U: AgTech Edition, Cowboy Monkey, 5-7:30 p.m., free
The third installment in PYGMALION’s Inter-PYGMALION series takes place tonight at Cowboy Monkey in Downtown Champaign. It’ll feature slew of guests talking about AgTech, and ahead of the panel, there’s a happy hour to attend to as well with cocktails and such. The talk is free and open to the public. (PS) Photo from PYGMALION
The 28th Annual Great Cover Up, The City Center, 8 p.m. (Friday and Saturday), $10
This year’s installment of the famed Great Cover Up kicks off this weekend, featuring two nights of local bands performing as their heroes. Here’s what the programming looks like for each night, and $10 cover is a donation to this year’s charity:
Friday: The Data Waves, Neoga Blacksmith, Dearie, Grand Ambassador, Airacobra, HarshPro & DJ Belly, Truth AKA Trouble
Saturday: Kittens Incorporated, Ryan Byfield & Nuclei, Boneyard Brass Band, Chase Baby, DeShawn, Mike Ingram, Los Guapos featuring Brandon T. Washington (PS)
Saturday, February 9th
Support black-owned restaurants, see list below, all month, prices vary
February is Black History Month. As a country we regularly choose to forget our painful histories. It’s important to look back at the centuries of pain and trauma and struggle. But it’s equally as important to look forward, to support and celebrate the black community as members and allies. For a number of reasons, mostly structural and institutional, we don’t have a heck of a lot of black-owned restaurants in Champaign-Urbana. That makes it so much more important to support the few we do have: Caribbean Grill, Wood N’ Hog, Neil St. Blues, Smackin’ Food Truck (if I’m forgetting any, let me know!). Make a point of incorporating these restaurants in your eating rotations, not just this month, but all the time. (JH) Photo by Patrick Singer
Browse or shop the Frabjous February Home Show, Hooey House, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., bring money to shop
Hooey Batiks and friends are ready to slay it (get it …Frabjous Day…Jabberwocky slaying) with an art and craft show guaranteed to brighten the February blahs. Featuring work by
Hooey Batiks, Lydia Puddicombe, Kim Caisse Art, Sarah Shoot-Mixed Media Art, Lara Jobe, Same Street Textiles, Lisa Kesler Studio, Piper Pottery + Crafts, Sampson N Delilah, Jim O’Brien, James Escher, Cras Stitching, and more. (DD)
Ashes and Iron, Sweet Cobra, Mound Builders, California Mummy, Conjurer, Shazu, The Loose Cobra, 12 p.m.-12 a.m., $10 suggested donation
So, yes, that’s a photo of Han Solo being frozen in Star Wars with a can of beans and a scoop in his other hand, because this is what’s happening this weekend: A metal show and a chili cook-off at the Loose Cobra. The cook-off takes place at 12:30 p.m., and the show starts up at 5:30 p.m. — check out the Facebook event above for more details, but this is called Hibernation Sickness HeavyFest, y’all. (PS) Photo from the Facebook event
Go see watch some dance, Krannert Center Colwell Playhouse, 7:30 p.m., $10-21
Krannert as well as many of the programs that call it home are celebrating 50 years of existence, and Dance at Illinois is one of them. February Dance will be a collaboration between professors, alums, and current students, including a piece by Cynthia Oliver, who we featured last fall. (JM)
Sunday, February 10th
Watch tennis, Atkins Tennis Center, 1410 W St. Mary’s Rd, Urbana, 11 am. to 2 p.m., free
The Illini women take on Oregon in this indoor match. It’s free and fun. Bring the kids to see some top-level tennis. (JH) Photo from Facebook
Learn about Civil Rights in Champaign County, Museum of the Grand Prairie, 2 p.m., free
Part of the museum’s 1968 Speaker Series, this panel discussion will feature musician Candy Foster, retired Unit 4 teacher Izona Burgess, and journalist Stan West looking back at what the civil rights movement looked like here in C-U. (JM) Photo from Facebook Event
Immerse yourself in immersive theater, Allen Hall, 7 p.m., free
Capital W is a “joint venture of Lauren Ludwig and Monica Miklas…dedicated to exploring immersive theater and experiential events.” For the first of several events this week at Unit One/Allen Hall, they will be giving an intro to their work. This and all of their events are free and open to the public. (JM)
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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.