Friday, October 19th
C-U Folk & Roots Festival, Various venues in Urbana, price and times vary
This year’s C-U Folk & Roots Festival actually kicked off yesterday, but there’s so much left to see for the 10th annual installment. You can read all about it from John’s interview with the organizers here, and check out the full schedule of events linked above. Given that this is an all-volunteer based festival, this is something to admire. (PS) Top photo by Daniel Shoemaker
Get scared, Baldwin Asylum Haunted House, 2040 Lon Drive in Rantoul, 7 p.m. to 12 a.m., $12-20
If this is your sort of thing (I’ve always kind of liked this kind of stuff), this is supposed to be one of the best haunted house in Illinois. Just a short drive to Rantoul and you can pay to have people scare the crap out of you. Cause why not? (JM)
Saturday, October 20th
Toast of Champaign, Blind Pig, 120 N Neil St, Champaign, 1 to 6 p.m., free entry, prices per beer will vary
The 4th Annual Toast of Champaign will feature local breweries and brews (read the special booze line up here). Find special taps of Big Thorn Farm, Blind Pig, Destihl, JT Walker’s, Monarch, Riggs, and Triptych. Bring some food with you and sit on the patio while you drink your favorite special release. (JH) Image from Facebook
Olivia Tasch (The Chickadee Sermon), Brad Olsen (Neoga Blacksmith), Rebekah Songer, Melvin Knight, Exile on Main Street, 1-4 p.m., donations accepted
See live music and help support Illini Service Dogs? Sign us up. Check out what’s happening at Exile on Saturday early afternoon, and Exile on Main St. and Dandelion will donate 10% of sales between 12-5 p.m. to the organization. (PS)
Tour a cemetery, Mt. Hope and Roselawn Cemetery, 2 p.m., $10
Take a walking tour through this iconic local cemetery and hear from voices of the past: “seven innovators and trailblazers who have shaped Illinois history.” The event will take place rain or shine, and will last about 90 minutes. (JM)
Dance Music Therapy, Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, 7 to 10 p.m., free (donations welcome)
Did you miss out on Dance Music Therapy at Crystal Lake Park this summer? Never fear! They are back for three more sessions at the IMC. Go let loose with DJ KamauMau. You can read more about what DMT is all about here. (JM)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Colwell Playhouse at KCPA, 7:30 p.m., $10-25
Everything is stressful and angering right now, so how about a little laughter to break that up. Go see Illinois Theater’s adaptation of this comedy from 1962 and enjoy the singing and slapstick. Check out our preview for a little background, then go snag your tickets. (JM)
Cdot Honcho, Lisa Lee, Plu2o Nash, Adot, Rooski, Louie Kason, Da Circle, Canopy Club, 9 p.m., $20-$25
Chicago rapper Cdot Honcho heads down to C-U for this show with a bunch of support acts on Saturday night at Canopy Club. He dropped his latest album H4 just a few weeks back, which you can stream on your platform of choice now to check it out.
Sunday, October 21st
Press your own cider, Prairie Fruits Farm, 1 to 4 p.m., free entry plus cost of cider stuff
The 2nd Annual Cider Dayz will offer you an opportunity to press you own apple cider and buy a bunch of cider/apple flavored food and drink items. Apples are from Red Crib Acres, and Lucky Pierre Bakers will be on hand with a bunch of baked goods (and you know how we feel about those). Bring the kiddos, as this is a family-friendly event. (JH) Photo from Facebook
Go try a new escape room, Champaign-Urbana Adventures in Time and Space, 302 N. Broadway in Urbana, times vary, $20-25
C-U Adventures is starting the move to their new location with this brand new room Revenge of the Cabin. It’s a sequel to The Cabin, a long running game at their current location. You can see a sneak peak of the new facility in progress here. It’s soft open is this weekend with this new game, then they will be having a grand opening in early November. It’s a super fun way to spend an hour. (JM) Photo from Facebook
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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.