CHAMPAIGN — Electricity is not my strength. I use it, I appreciate it, I believe in conserving it, but I really don’t understand how it all works. I don’t even like to change a light fixture without consulting an electrician.

Monticello is where it's at this weekend, with the annual Monticello Celebration and Railroad Days at the Monticello Railroad Museum. And with a near-perfect weekend forecast, it's your last chance to take a boat ride around Crystal Lake in Urbana. Or try out your football skills at Punt, Pass and Kick. Plus a free concert, Savoy Orchard Days and more!

So we’re thinking of adding on a room to our house. A soundproof one. Just for saxophone practice.

My son’s fifth-grade band adventure is the latest in a long line of activities our children have explored, and it’s going to be a noisy one. But so far at least, he likes it. And I’m all for it.

Talk about an eclectic lineup this weekend: football, physics, bubbles, jazz, Latin rhythms, dachshunds, dungeons and dragons. And of course, the Lawn Rangers. Need I say more?

Jazz Walk: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Meadowbrook Park, Windsor Road and Vine Street, Urbana. Free.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is denouncing the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association for its upcoming “Safe Sleep” campaign, saying some dangerous drop-side cribs still carry the association's certification seal.

It's a three-day weekend, so take the time to enjoy a last blast of summer: a swim at Sholem Aquatic Center, a cheese festival, or a Symphony at Sunset. And who doesn't love a parade -- especially the one with all the candy?

One more familiar face is missing this year as my son begins fifth grade.

A close friend just moved to Arizona after his dad took a job promotion, the third to go in the four short years since kindergarten.

One word for this weekend: suuweeet! As in corn, music, cars and, yes, a medieval jousting tournament at the Illinois Renaissance Fair.

Corn, get your corn: 35th annual Urbana Sweetcorn Festival, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, downtown Urbana. Free.

Researchers tell us childhood is the best time to learn a second language, when developing brains are primed to absorb any and all information.

Unfortunately, most public elementary schools have no foreign language instruction, with school districts citing both the cost and the lack of time in the school day.

Summer may be drawing to a close, but this weekend features plenty of fine arts, entertainment and other activities for the whole family.

SculptureFest, 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Park Street between Neil and Randolph streets, Champaign. Free.