Friday, January 10th
Image: A collection of fried vegetable appetizers from Kohinoor in a styrofoam container, including four pakoras, one samosa, one aloo tikki. There are two small plastic containers of condiments. Photo by Jessica Hammie.
Order take out, watch a movie, your house, all weekend, prices vary
Have you been running around like crazy the last few weeks? Do you feel like you’ve had no time for yourself and/or yourself and your loved ones? Here’s your chance to chill. I recently had Kohinoor delivered and the spouse and I ate some delicious food in front of the television while we watched silly nonsense that allowed us to check out. (JH)
See an Illini sporting event, locations, times, and costs vary
I’ve realized there are quite a lot of winter sports happening right now, giving us plenty of opportunities to see Illini athletes competing. Just this weekened you can take in some wrestling, men’s and women’s basketball, and swimming. Regardless of what you choose, you will have a good time. Head to the Illinois Athletics website to see days/times and purchase tickets. (JM)
Image: Wavy, neon blue lines cover the background of the image, text overlaying blue lines reading “GET WEIRD” in orange capital letters and “PSYCHEDELIC BASS MUSIC” below it in black capital letters. Date of the event beneath that in green capital letters. Name of venue beneath that in white capital letters. Graphic from the Facebook event page.
Get Weird with psychedelic bass music, 25 O’Clock Brewing Co, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., free
There’s full night of visuals ahead of you if you’re up for it. You don’t even need to take mushrooms to see them! A few DJs will be set up at 25 O’Clock in Downtown Urbana, including DJ Belly, FIDLIN, Strick Lee, and Jamurai. They’ll be pumping out jams all night. (PS)
Saturday, January 11th
Brewery tour, Triptych Brewing, 1 p.m., $7
Triptych has released a bunch more dates for brewery tours, and you can still get in on the one happening this weekend. You’ll get to check out the semi-new digs over at the Memery, learn what goes into the process of making all your favorites brews, and of course there will be sampling. Reserve your tickets here. (JM)
Image: Close-up of two hands, one holding a wood carving tool, the other holding a partially carved wood project with intricate floral design. Photo from CU Woodshop Facebook event page.
Learn How to Wood Carve, at the CU Woodshop Supply, 1 to 4 p.m., $75
If exploring a new art form is one of your resolutions for the new year, consider exploring wood carving with Ron McClellan. This workshop will cover basic carving skills, safety techniques, tools, choose materials, and the basic layout process for carving on your own. (DD)
Image: The puff pastry top of chicken pot pie from Everyday Kitchen is visible in a cast iron skillet. The skillet sits on a white plate on a wood table. Photo by Jessica Hammie.
Go on a date, Everyday Kitchen, all weekend, about $25-$30/person
Okay, so let’s say you haven’t been running around for the last few weeks, and you’re desperate to hang out with some friends and/or your favorite person. Go out! Everyday Kitchen is a good choice because the restaurant takes reservations, has many shareable options, offers something for most dietary needs, and is funky and interesting looking. (JH)
Image: Dancer Ibrahim Sabbi, dressed in black, is holding a dance pose. Surrounding him are brightly colored shapes and text boxes with date, time, and location about his hip-hop dance class series. Image from Urbana Dance Company Facebook event page.
Take a Hip Hop Break at Urbana Dance Company, 3:30 to 4:45 p.m., $15
Dance off the winter blues and explore hip hop and other street styles with Ibrahim Sabbi, a Dance at Illinois BFA student whose recent performance in Gem of the Ocean was nothing short of intoxicating. Drop in to one session for $15, or purchase a package (five classes for $70 or 10 classes for $135). Hip Hop Groove, House & Break will meet January 11th through May 2nd. (DD)
Sunday, January 12th
Image: A bag of honey butter flavored potato chips from the brand Haitai. The bag is yellow, and pictures a honey bee, a honey dipper, potatoes, butter, and a pot of honey. Photo by Jessica Hammie.
Try some honey butter chips, Fresh International Market, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., about $3
I was in Fresh International Market to pick up some items for dinner the other night, and I decided to pursue the snack aisle for salty treats. I picked up a bag of honey butter chips out of curiosity; would they achieve the salty-sweet balance of ultimate deliciousness? The answer is yes. They are sweet and savory and a little buttery, but the chips are so light you can easily eat the entire bag in one sitting. Give ‘em a try. (JH)
Image: L-shaped wood bar top with a shiny finish, view of the entire bar in the background. There are five bar seats visible. Photo from Loose Cobra’s Facebook page.
Have a Campustown excursion, locations, times, and costs vary
We are still existing in the Campustown calm before it roars back to life for the spring semester. Take advantage by enjoying some Campustown establishments. I would suggest a little ice skating at the U of I Ice Arena. You can find public skate times here. Then reward yourself with some food. Sakanaya is a good choice, since it’s a bit harder to get into when school is in session. I also like Murphy’s for my post-skating refreshment. A burger, beer, and fries will surely soothe your sore feet. (JM)
Second Sunday Singer Songwriter Snakepit, The Loose Cobra, free, 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.
This is your opportunity to step up to the mic, as this is an open mic out at Loose Cobra on Sunday afternoon. You’re welcome to stop by the bar anytime after 1 p.m., though music will start at 2:30 p.m. and continue thereafter. (PS)
Top image: An underpass with CAMPUSTOWN in white glowing letters on a gray background. Photo by Brian O’Neill.
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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.