Champaign, Ill. (WCIA)

Summer is back and we have a lot to celebrate. Many summer staples are back in full force and we have a full line-up for the month of June.

Starting this weekend, Friday Night Live is back in downtown Champaign. Three spots in downtown will feature local musicians at 6 and 7pm, with a kid’s activity every week. This really creates a fun, festive environment in the area to catch up with friends and neighbors while also supporting local art, and our local businesses.

Also coming up this weekend, the Mahomet Soda Fest is back for its second year in downtown Mahomet on June 10. This is a great family-friendly event with dozens of flavors of soda to try throughout the day alongside games, local food, and some live music.

Sullivan’s Little Theatre on the Square’s season is underway for the summer, starting with Jersey Boys running June 8–16 followed by The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Driving Miss Daisy, the Million Dollar Quartet, and several more. They produce the shows themselves and work with traveling Broadway actors to create a top-notch but intimate show. Check their calendar to see what’s coming up and make plans for your visit.

Live music is all over this summer, with both Champaign Park District and the Urbana Park District bringing back their summer concerts in their parks. Champaign’s concerts fall on several Sunday’s and Thursday’s, while Urbana’s are on Wednesdays. Take the time to discover the local parks and listen to some local musicians.

For all of those fans of anything remote control, check out the RC Fest happening at Eli Field in Monticello the weekend of June 9. This event showcases RC cars and airplanes with demos, racing, and a chance to bring out your own RC to check out the tracks.

June is also Pride month and there are a series of events coming up to celebrate. This weekend, Allerton will host their LOVE for ALLerton June 3-4 with a concert in the park on Saturday at 6pm and a Drag Brunch on Sunday with several performances. In Tuscola, they’ll have their Pound the Pavement for Pride 5K on Saturday, June 10. Later in the month, Uniting Pride will host their Pride Party on Saturday, June 24 with a family friendly drag show, arts & crafts, face painting, and much more at Rose Bowl Tavern.

Juneteenth is another big community wide celebration commemorating the abolition of slavery. Champaign Park District will hold a celebration on June 17 at Douglass Park with live music, arts and crafts, and vendors on hand. We will be there talking about the Champaign County African American History Trail and the opportunities to celebrate our local history.

We can’t forget about Father’s Day in all the events. There are so many ways to celebrate Dad locally. Try a round of foot golf together at Lake of the Woods, or head to The Fringe in Rantoul to tackle their challenging mini-golf courses. Head to Crystal Lake Park and hop on a paddle boat or canoe to go around the lake, and then splash the day away at the pool. Or if you want to take dad out for a local beer, we have five local breweries across the area ready to help you celebrate.

Visit the Experience Champaign Urbana website HERE.