Champaign County, IL Events & Attractions

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May 2005
-Great Duck Race, Crystal Lake Park, Urbana
A Champaign Urbana tradition for the past for the past 16 years, the don moyer boys & girls club annual duck race fundraiser is a community event for the whole family. The Duck Race raises programming funds to benefit the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club and is
held every May at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana. Call the Ducks hotline at 398-DUCK for more information.


June 2005

-June 24-26--Taste of Urbana-Champaign, West Side Park
Champaign Central Illinois Bank, The News-Gazette, and the Champaign Park District invite you to discover the taste of summer. With over 20 restaurants, more than 50 arts & crafts vendors, and exciting musicians, the annual Taste of Champaign is a great way to celebrate the creative spirit and culture of our community.
http://www.champaignparkdistrict.com/main.htm


-June 28--The Great Race, downtown Urbana
This event is the country's longest running vintage automobile rally. This unforgettable event rolls into Champaign County on the streets of downtown Urbana. Each day, drivers and navigators carefully follow a set course while competing in a time-speed-distance race. This is a great family event that lines the streets with tons of spectators! Don't miss it!!
http://www.greatrace.com/events.php?...005&page=route


July 2005

July22-30--Champaign County Fair at the Champaign Co. fair grounds
Demolition car derby, world championship rodeo and more!!! Gate admission $5. For more info call 367-8461.

August 2005

August 5-14--World Free Fall Convention
Mark your calendars now for this summer's biggest event in Champaign county; The World Free Fall Convention Aug. 5-14. The 10 day extravaganza features skydivers of all levels of experience and vendors of all kinds. Visit www.freefall.com
for more info.


Source: Champaign County Convention & Visitors Bureau

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Children’s Learning Get-Aways!

Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum
The largest aerospace museum in Illinois! It’s perfect for a family outing and will really get the children’s curiosity flowing when they see the planes in the hangars and when they sit in the simulated missile. Rantoul is about a 15 minute drive from Champaign and is easy to get to. The Discovery Learning Center also makes it easier for children to learn about aerospace in a group setting. For more info please call (217) 893-1613.

Prairie Farm
At Prairie Farm kids can pet a wide variety of animals in the petting zoo. The footbridge across the duck pond also proves to be an enjoyable activity along with the trolley rides the farm provides. Educational programs are also offered for children. For more information please call 398-2550.

William M. Staerkel Planetarium
Let your children learn about the stars and the planets in a real life simulated experience! The planetarium is the second largest in the Illinois and offers many children’s shows including a rock-n-roll light show. It is a great Friday or Saturday night activity for children and their parents. For more information please call 351-2568.

Curtis Orchard
Children and parents can participate in an orchard wagon tour, play in the Play Area, Straw Jump, find their way through the Green Acres Maze, and visit the Farm Animals. Other weekend opportunities also include a seasonal pony and horseback trail ride. For more info please call 359-5565.

Orpheum Children’s Science Museum
Learning about science in a fun way is the main goal of this museum. It offers exhibits such as ghost images, zoetropes, and design a dinosaur to teach children about science in an informal setting. They are open 9 am - 6 pm on Tuesday and 1 pm - 6 pm Wednesday through Sunday and some school holidays. Please call 352-5895 for more info.

---Ghost Images
By adjusting light levels on each side of the exhibit, two people sitting on opposite sides of a one-way mirror appear to merge into a single personality with features of both people.
---Zoetropes
This example of the earliest form of animation consists of three cylinders at different heights perforated by vertical slits. When a child spins the cylinder and looks through the slits, still pictures drawn on the inside create a "moving" image. The exhibit demonstrates persistence of vision: the mind's eye retains an image for about 1/16th of a second and makes it seem as if the still pictures are moving.