Celebrate National Champion Crab Races Day

Although an unusual sport, crab racing is a thrill-filled event that captivates the attention of many. Today on National Champion Crab Races Day, celebrate alongside crab race enthusiasts here in Illinois!

Crab racing has been around for decades with a National Crab Racing Association arising in 1979, becoming the most prominent organization involved in crab racing. As for the holiday, it began in the town of Long Beach, Washington in the early 2000s and expanded to other areas. Since then, people annually celebrate the holiday by entering their own crab in races, attending a race or even enjoying their favorite crab dish.

This year, celebrate the Illinois way by visiting Don’s Place in Jacksonville. For over 30 years, Don’s Place has hosted crab races every Thursday evening. Customers can witness the spectacle while enjoying food, drinks, and live music on occasion. Don’s Place is a family-owned establishment that has earned its title as a local favorite operating in Jacksonville since 1933.

Crab races at Don’s Place are held every Thursday from 8:30 to 10 p.m. For more information, visit their website.

Happy racing!

Library Lovers' Day

Wherever you live in Illinois, there are numerous clubs, resources and events available to you at your local library! Library Lovers’ Day, celebrated each year on Feb. 14, is a time to celebrate libraries and the life-changing books and offerings they hold. The day has been celebrated in many different ways and in many different places. This year Gallatin County is having a Library Lovers’ celebration focused on the Junie B Jones book series.

Libraries in Illinois have so much to offer. Almost every library in Illinois has multiple book clubs and some even have free yoga classes! Through a program called Explore More Illinois, library card holders from participating libraries can get free and discounted tickets to museums, science centers, sporting events, zoos, park districts and theatres.

There’s a ton going on at your local library during the month of February. One of the many services from Lincoln Library in Springfield is a book match. Throughout February, you can take a survey to get customized book recommendations curated by the librarians. The Normal Public Library holds a teen D&D club as well as a Death Café discussion group. The Peoria Public Library’s JobNow program connects job seekers with live, expert coaches for every stage of the job search, and the Launch Business Center at the Champaign Public Library offers workshops, online tools and one-on-one consultations for starting a growing a business. On Feb. 22, Reddick Public Library in Ottawa is hosting a night with Melanie Holmes, author of “100 Things to Do in Illinois Before You Die,” where she will present travel tips for day outings, weekend trips and weeklong excursions around Illinois.

Don’t miss out on the fun! Use Library Lovers’ Day and the month of February to find out what’s going on at your local library.

Check out discounted shows this Chicago Theatre week

It’s Chicago Theatre Week and you can celebrate by attending a show for $30 or less. Originally launched in 2000, the annual Chicago Theatre Week serves up value priced tickets for productions at dozens of theaters across the city.

Last year’s CTW hit record ticket sales as more than 20,000 tickets sold with more than 500 performances displayed by 78 participating productions. Sponsored by the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago, more than 50 theatres will participate this year during CTW. The goal is to increase and represent theatre as a vital industry throughout Chicago.

Be sure to visit and attend theatrical showings this week at theatres such as The Chicago Theatre, which is known to be the first large lavish movie palace in America and was the prototype for all others. Opened on Oct. 26, 1921, this beautiful movie palace was constructed for $4 million and built in French baroque style. This seven-story building has 3,600 seats and is more than one half of a city block wide and consists of a vertical sign that displays “C-H-I-C-A-G-O” at about six stories tall. Throughout it’s time, The Chicago Theatre presented the best live and film entertainment with an array of the world’s brightest stars and greatest productions that have graced the stage, which includes Allman Brothers Band, Blues Traveler, Kelly Clarkson, Harry Connick Jr. and others.

For those seeking to make Theatre Week purchases, each theatre’s own ticket offers and ticketing system/box office details will be listed on the Chicago Theatre Week website at chicagotheatreweek.com.

New Illinois radio station “Illinois Soul” launches during Black History Month

Just in time for Black History Month, a new Illinois radio station has begun broadcasting. “Illinois Soul” is dedicated to the reflection of the Black experience throughout the state.

The station is produced by Illinois Public Media from Urbana, with the station located on the University of Illinois campus. With support and input from leaders within the Black community, the new station’s goal is to transform the media landscape.

Illinois Public Media sought input from many people, with the aim being to understand their preferences for a local Black media service. Illinois Public Media has attended community events with surveys in order to find out what topics the community wanted to hear about. The feedback revealed a need to amplify Black voices and stories, connect communities, and celebrate Black excellence.

As a part of its programming, the station will also introduce a new weekly local affairs program, focusing on issues that are important to black adults in Central Illinois.

You can listen to “Illinois Soul” over the air in Champaign-Urbana at 101.1 FM, or stream the station live from anywhere on IllinoisSoul.org.