Common Ground has opened up pre-orders for the 2017 holiday season, and it is turkey time.

Check out the pre-order page on their website — they have Triple S Turkeys in a variety of options, which you can read below:

 

2017 HOLIDAY TURKEY PRE-ORDER

Stan's Triple S Turkeys are Broad Breasted Bronze Heritage breed, Organic Pasture-Raised, Local, & Delicious!

Prices per pound (before discount):

$5.49/lb for 10-13.9 lb turkeys

$4.79/lb for 14-17.9 lb turkeys

$4.19/lb for 18-25+ lb turkeys

Benefits

Just $20 reserves your holiday turkey from Triple S Farm!

And, because we love holiday pre-orders so much, we have some great rewards for you if you pre-order:

• Everyone who pre-orders automatically saves 50 cents a pound.
• If you pre-order by November 2, 2017, you will be entered in a drawing to receive your turkey for free (your $20 deposit will be refunded).
• A coupon for $2 off the purchase of any whole pie (valid Nov 1 - Dec 31, 2017 available at the front registers)
• A coupon good for a future shopping trip--$2 off when you spend $25 or more, $5 off $50 or more, and $12 off $100 or more (valid Nov 1 - Dec 31, 2017 available at the front registers)  

Note: Due to state regulations, our turkeys must remain frozen until they get to you. Please allow ample time for thawing in your refrigerator when selecting your pick up date.

All pre-orders must be completed by Nov 9, 2017

Please use the form below to pre-order your 2017 Triple S Farms holiday turkey. 

• Items with red asterisks are required.
• Because your order cannot be processed without payment you will be taken to a page to pay via Paypal after you complete the order form below.
• You do NOT need a Paypal account to pay. You can pay with your chosen credit card.
• If you do not want to pay online, please complete a paper pre-order form with with our Front of House staff at the registers in-store. 

Photos from Common Ground

A former Bacaro chef returns to the kitchen to cook in this installment of Cooking with Friends — Michael Miller is the esteemed guest chef.

This is the next edition of this series — first  there was Watson's and Farren's, second as well as Art Mart. Editor's Note: I didn't realize there was a first one of these with Maize, so that was brought to my attention, thus my updates here with strikethrough.

Here's the post, and the menu below that if you're having trouble with the size of the Facebook text:

"Weird Al" Yankovic is coming to Champaign in 2018 — March 30th at the Virginia Theatre. 2018 seems like a ways off at this point, but we're almost there. You might know Weird Al from his musical parodies and everything in between that's... uh... weird.

Tickets are on sale this Friday, October 20th at 12 p.m. CST.

Check out the trailer for the tour:

If you want to learn how to properly prune and maintain your trees — this is a good opportunity heading into the fall.

Allerton is hosting a workshop (which only costs $5) with their Park Attendants and Certified Arborist Peter Lichtenberger about this very subject this Saturday, October 21st from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Check out the ticketing link, and the info on their website:

Join Allerton Park’s Park Attendants and Certified Arborist Peter Lichtenberger for a workshop in tree care and pruning. Attendees will learn tips and tricks in planting, mulching, site selection, and species selection, among other basics for trees around your home. Proper pruning techniques will also be discussed as Peter leads you through Allerton’s gardens.

Park in the Visitor Center parking lot. Please meet outside the Visitor Center

$5/person. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Click here to register.

Top photo from Allerton's website.

The UC2B Community Benefit Fund is accepting applications focusing on improving digital inclusion and digital equity for low- to moderate-income people in the Champaign -Urbana area. In 2018, The UC2B Board anticipates awarding a total of up to $150,000 (collectively) in grants to community-based applicants. Single grants between $2,000 and $25,000 are encouraged, though applicants will not be limited to that range. In this first year of the Community Benefit Fund Grant Program, the UC2B board hopes to allocate up to $100,000 (in total) to cover one-time expenditures and up to $50,000 (in total) for recurring, multi-year expenditures.

All applicants are encouraged to attend the Technical Assistance Application Training on Wednesday, November 1st, 2017 at Stratton Elementary School (902 N. Randolph St, Champaign) from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm.

All applications must be submitted electronically as an email attachment sent to the following email address: cbfappl2018@uc2b.net. Deadline for submission of this application is Wednesday, November 15th, at midnight Central Time.

UC2B board members will select winning grant applications by mid-December and funding will be disbursed beginning January 15th, 2018.

You may download a PDF to apply for a grant. Instructions to assist you in applying are here.

Once your application is complete, submit it via email to cbfappl2018@uc2b.net by November 15th, 2017, no later than midnight Central Time.

For additional questions concerning the grant documentation and review process please contact Paul Hixson, Community Benefit Fund (CBF) Committee Chair at (217) 377-0559 or hixson@uc2b.net or Grant Coordinator Brian Bell - bbell909@gmail.com

MIGA in Downtown Champaign announced that they would be adding a sushi bar and a new sushi chef at the beginning of this month, so a group of us went and checked out their new and expansive sushi menu last week.

You might know MIGA's sister restaurant, Sakanaya, which sushi is one of their specialties in addition to ramen.

Check out the full menu here, and what we had to eat (and drink) below.

All photos by Anna Longworth.

Sashimi Deluxe: 15 pieces of Chef’s choice sashimi

Hungry Roll: shrimp tempura, cream cheese, and crab, wrapped with spicy tuna and eel, eel sauce spicy aioli

Ceviche: salmon, white fish, tuna, red onion, mango, seaweed mix, yuzu konbu vinaigrette

Sushi Deluxe: nigiri (10 piece) and 1 classic roll (california, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, spicy tuna, or shrimp tempura)

A photo of the menu, which you can check out in full linked above.

A few cocktails we tasted:

Hot Pepper Punch: habanero vodka, mango & agave nectar, muddled jalapeño, lime juice

Spiced Cranberry Fizz: ginger & orange infused simple syrup, cranberry juice, prosecco

The chefs in action.

If somehow you missed the announcement of the opening of Caribbean Grill's brick-and-mortar in May, I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry that you've missed so many Tuesdays. Caribbean Grill's Tuesday special, the jerk chicken burrito, is a thing of wonder and glory. 

That is to say, I highly recommend it, and it's available all day today. Burrito only is $7.29; with one side, $8.99; or two sides $10.69.

Caribbean Grill is located at 2135 South Neil Street, Champaign (near Biaggi’s, Le Peep, and Natural Gourmet). There’s plenty of parking.

Caribbean Grill is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.. 

Top photo by Jessica Hammie. Burrito photo from CG's Facebook page. 

State Representative Carol Ammons will be hosting a casual meet up to talk with constituents on October 27th from 7:30-9 a.m. at Flying Machine Coffee in Urbana. As the "Coffee with Carol" Facebook event states: "No agenda, just coffee, and conversation. Stop by and tell me what you're concerned about, have questions regarding, or like about our community!"

How can this get any better? Representative Rodney Davis — IL 13's representative that we've been following very closely over the course of the last year or so — has some interesting taste in music. Boswell found out as much back in January.

This video from a few years ago has resurfaced: 2014's 13th Congressional District Debate on WILL.

Ann Callis answers with Katy Perry's "Roar" as her response to Jennifer Roscoe's question:

And Davis gloriously responds with:

I shit you not, that was his answer. Almost too good to be true.

Major h/t to Boswell Hutson and Kyle Patterson for bringing this to our attention.

Here's the video footage (go to the 57 minute mark, because your time is valuable):

This Saturday at Japan House, you can check out their Open House, which features Senko Ikenobo, the Headmaster Designate for the Ikenobo Ikebana Society.

Here's all the information from their press release:

Fall Open House with Senko Ikenobo

Japan House Fall Open House
Saturday, October 21, 2017
10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Join us for our Fall Open House featuring Senko Ikenobo, the Headmaster Designate for the Ikenobo Ikebana Society. She will eventually become the first female Headmaster in Ikenobo's 550 year history. We are honored that she is visiting Japan House and will give a presentation at 11:00 am about Ikenobo and the future of Ikebana. 

There will also be tea ceremonies throughout the day, for the special rate of $6, offered by the Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association, and free garden tours by our garden designer and caretaker, James Bier. This presentation, and other related events at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and the Art Theater, are part of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Illinois Prairie Chapter of the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of America.