|
Subscribe | Get featured
It’s Friday, Champaign! Let’s finish this week strong.
In today’s can’t-miss-weekend-plans edition: Sesame Street Live, Dark Side of the Moon light show, and Smith Burger Co. opening + a stacked lineup of events this weekend.
Today’s sponsor (FinanceBuzz) built a free comparison tool that helped me cut my car insurance premiums in half. It took about 3 minutes, and honestly… I wish I’d done it sooner. If you haven’t shopped around in a while, you can easily check the best rates here.
|
📰 In the news
Community steps up for prom: The Housing Authority of Champaign County is collecting gently used formalwear and accessories for its 2nd Annual Prom Pop-Up Shop now through March 31, helping local teens get prom ready — see where and what to donate.
Family-friendly stage spectacular: Elmo and friends will bring Sesame Street Live! Elmo’s Got the Moves to the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign on Saturday, March 28, with upbeat songs and tickets available — see songs and ticket info.
Burger brand expands footprint: Smith Burger Co. will open in Mahomet at 401 East Main Street, the former Chophouse on Main, adding to Champaign-Urbana spots at The Yard on Broadway and The Collective Pour — get all the details.
Gold & silver are hot: Coming off gold’s best year since 1979, the momentum is carrying well into 2026 with silver remaining one of the most talked-about assets. Curious why they’re back in focus? American Hartford Gold has a free guide that explains what’s happening and how people are approaching it today. It’s free – and definitely worth a read.
Someone Googled you this week: Whether you’re dating again, selling something locally, or just meeting new neighbors… people are going to look you up. Like it or not, the internet has a way of surfacing past mistakes and outdated information that no longer reflects who you are. Thankfully, there’s a really easy way for you (or someone you care about) to clean up all that up – learn more here.
Highlights this week:
|
🚗 Are you quietly overpaying for car insurance?
Together with our sponsor FinanceBuzz
Auto insurance premiums have been climbing across the country… and most folks won’t notice until it’s time to renew and they’re hit with a higher bill.
The frustrating part? Loyalty rarely gets rewarded. Insurers adjust prices constantly, and new customers often qualify for better rates than long-time policyholders.
I learned that the hard way. I had the same policy for half a decade. Autopay was on, I saw the charges come in every month and never thought twice about them. Turns out I was paying well above the national average ($175/mo) for a single car… for years.
This free comparison tool lets you check rates from multiple insurers in just a few minutes. It costs nothing to look, and it could save you hundreds this year.
|
🫶 We got your back
Plant-powered lunch fix: Forage Kitchen keeps plant-forward lunch simple with build-your-own grain bowls, bright salads, warm wraps, and house-brewed kombucha for extra sparkle. It’s easy, fast, and reliably tasty, ideal when you need real food between meetings, classes, or errands.
Find your next heirloom: Antiques & More at Staley Road is a nearly 9,000-square-foot maze of mid-century finds and true antiques, with 100+ booths and about 50 vendors. You may go in “just to look,” then leave grinning with a piece that carries a story.
Wake-up-ready brows: If your morning routine keeps hijacking coffee time, Gilded Lily Beauty Bar offers microblading, nano fusion, and powder/ombre brows, plus lip blushing and subtle eyeliner that looks like you on eight hours’ sleep. Future-you will cruise past the mirror, quietly smug.
An emergency vet visit could cost you $7,000+ (ask me how I know 🙃). From the initial fee just to be seen to x-rays, surgery, medicine, and aftercare, it adds up quicker than a chew toy turns into a crime scene. The good news? You could get up to 90% cash back on your vet bill with this pet insurance plan.
|
📆 Around town this weekend
Have an event to share? BaseLocal Verified Businesses can submit them for free! Learn more about how to submit an event here →
All events are subject to change without notice. Always check official event pages for the most up to date information.
📚 Book Swap @ Resistance Threads Vintage | Friday (3/6) at 6:00 PM – Clear a little shelf space, then fill it right back up at Resistance Threads Vintage’s community book swap, no one-for-one required. Free entry, paperback donations going to Books2Prisoners, and C-U karma points for every GED guide or dictionary you set free.
🎭 Romeo and Juliet @ Harold and Jean Miner Theatre | Friday (3/6) at 7:30 PM – Think you know Romeo and Juliet? This Central Illinois remix pits farm boots against cul-de-sac polish, with Shakespeare’s bite, surprises, and a love story that still stings. It’s at Harold and Jean Miner Theatre, and opening night is half-price, so feel fancy on a bargain.
🌑 Light Show: Dark Side of the Moon @ William M. Staerkel Planetarium | Friday (3/6) at 9:00 PM – First Fridays, the planetarium goes full Floyd with a fulldome Dark Side immersion, not lasers, just enveloping visuals. It’s $12, tickets at tickets.parkland.edu or the door, and if you’re motion sensitive, sit in back, savor the sound, and let the ceiling do the spinning.
🚣 Prairie Dragon Paddlers 2026 Annual Kick-Off Breakfast @ Stratford Park Bible Chapel | Saturday (3/7) at 8:00 AM – Start the morning with carbs, camaraderie, and boat talk with the Prairie Dragon Paddlers, a supportive crew of local women. Over on Kirby, meet the team, learn how dragon boat racing works, and, if you’re game, claim a spot in the boat.
🎓 Scholarship Brunch @ Cityview Banquet and Meeting Center | Saturday (3/7) at 11:00 AM – Feel like restoring your faith in the next generation? Join the Illinois Club and OLLI crowd for a scholarship brunch where donors get kudos, the committee gets applause, and stellar students share stories that leave you proud, a little misty, and well fed.
🦋 Monarch & Pollinator Fair @ McKinley Foundation | Saturday (3/7) at 1:00 PM – Butterflies, bees, and the kids who chase them steal the show. Face painting, story circles, science, crafts, seed bombs, and temporary tattoos, no registration required, perfect for ages 3 to 12. Free parking in lot C6 on Daniel, with UIUC Pollinatarium and Urbana Park District.
🐱 Louis Wain Original Art Exhibition @ The Scratching Post | Sunday (3/8) at 2:00 PM – Swing by The Scratching Post for a free look at over 20 original Louis Wain drawings, a unicorn sighting this side of the Atlantic. He is the Victorian cat guy who made felines act human. Quirky, whiskered, very British charm, zero litter box.
Live music & entertainment:
Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →
|
🔥 Worth a peek
We’re always on the hunt for useful resources, deals, services, and products we think you’ll love. Here’s what caught our eye this week.
|
📻 Champaign report
Weather forecast
Today – High: 75°F – Low: 60°F – Precip: 54%
Patchy fog and a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. South wind 8 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible. Later: Showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South southwest wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
—
Tomorrow – High: 67°F – Low: 37°F – Precip: 63%
Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy. High near 67, with temperatures falling to around 57 in the afternoon. West southwest wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Later: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. West northwest wind 6 to 12 mph, with gusts as high as 17 mph.
Something in your house is about to break 🏠
It might be your AC, your water heater, your fridge… doesn’t matter. Every major system and appliance has an expiration date, and when it goes, you’re staring down a repair bill that can climb into the thousands fast.
It never happens at a convenient time, and most homeowners just eat the cost because they don’t realize there’s a better option.
American Home Shield covers repairs and replacements on most of your home’s major systems and appliances — old or new, no inspection required.
The best part? Select plans are 50% off now through March 9th.
This house is wild
Set on a private acre in Champaign’s Trails at Brittany, this custom ranch delivers over 4,600 finished square feet and a backyard resort with a 14×40 heated pool, fireplace, and covered patio. Highlights include a sun porch with in-ground hot tub, custom kitchen, luxe primary suite, entertainment-ready basement with wet bar and steam shower, plus a heated four-car garage.
Take a peek inside →
|
 |
Thanks for reading! If you know someone who’d love BaseLocal, send ’em here so they can sign up too 🙂
|
|
|
|
