The Illini Inn on campus has new owners.

John Rinkenberger Jr., who owns the Village Inn Pizza Parlor in west Champaign, purchased the tavern at 901 S. Fourth St., C, with friend Sean Ackerson. The two have owned the upstairs pizza joint, Stone Baked Pizza, for the last three years, and Rinkenberger said it made sense to buy the bar too.

"The main draw for us is, we like things with tradition and things that have had a good name in the past," said Rinkenberger, who grew up in Urbana and attended Illinois State University. "We're very excited to own it."

The Illini Inn, one of the older bars on campus, is known for its "Mug Club," in which members traditionally chug their first mug of beer while other patrons in the bar cheer them on.

Right now, no food is served at the bar. That will change.

"We are planning on putting a full-scale menu in the bar," he said. Items like pizza, calzones and sandwiches will be made available, probably when students return to campus in late August, he said.

The Illini Inn is a small bar; the capacity is 75. No major renovations are planned, however; in the future, the new owners plan to update the bathrooms.

"We're a place to hang out and talk. ... to talk to your buddy about what went on during the day," Rinkenberger said.

The pizza business, located on the second floor, is known mostly for its pizza sold by the slice during the late hours.

Rinkenberger said he plans to continue operating Village Inn Pizza.

Now open

Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works is now open in downtown Champaign.

The long-awaited restaurant on the south side of M2, at 301 N. Neil St., opened to the public Wednesday after a soft opening a few days earlier.

The 9,000-square-foot "gastrobrewery," as owner Matt Potts has called it, is the second location for Destihl, which started in Normal.

The menu features steaks, seafood, pizzas, sandwiches, salads and more. Beer is brewed on-site, and diners can view the operation from the dining area. The brewery is releasing 17 beers for the opening.

Construction began in the fall after several delays, including repair work needed on M2 following the fire that burned down the Metropolitan Building across the street.

The Champaign restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Brunches are offered on the weekend. Destihl can be reached at 356-0301 or http://www.destihl.com.

Two other restaurants, an Irish pub and a Mongolian-style stir-fry, are planned for the north side of M2. Those building permits were issued last week by the city of Champaign.

Photography

Champaign photographer Justine Bursoni has launched a new freelance photography business called Justine Bursoni Photography.

After finishing graduate school at the University of Illinois and focusing on arts education there, Bursoni went into "full-throttle" freelance mode last November. She does freelance, portrait and wedding photography and has a passion for food photography.

She's based in Champaign but has photographed weddings in Washington, Montana and New York.

"I really enjoy being able to work with clients one-on-one," she said, adding that she also likes to work with subjects who are willing to experiment.

Bursoni can be contacted by email at justine@justinebursoni.com or via her website, http://www.justinebursoni.com.

Bowling for kids

Arrowhead Lanes, 1401 N. McKinley Ave., and Western Bowl, 917 Francis Drive, in Champaign will launch a spring and summer bowling program for kids called, "Say No to Drugs. Say Yes to Bowling."

The alleys will give students a card that entitles children to one free game of bowling, including shoe rentals, every day, May through August. Additional games will cost $2. The cards are good every day until 9 p.m., whenever lanes are available.

"Everybody can bowl. It's something fun to do. And it's cool in here in the summer," said Drew Shreeves, counter staff at Arrowhead.

They also plan to bring in speakers, such as a police officer or athlete.

The lanes will run food and drink specials during the summer, but the students are not obligated to buy anything, said owner Elisa Testory.

"Parents can give their children $4, and they can spend three or four hours here. It's better than having them running around in the streets," she said.

Amish auction

The Arthur Produce Auction kicks off its season on Friday.

The first auction will focus on flowers, including hanging baskets, planters, bedding plants and vegetable plants.

Auctions are held at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays through October 31. Items are sold in large lots, such as four or five flats of flowers or three or four boxes of produce, mostly to wholesale buyers.

But individual buyers are also welcome to come and buy, manager Sheldon Raber said. Sometimes early season produce lots are smaller.

The Arthur Produce Auction also will hold its semiannual tree, landscaping, and produce equipment consignment auction on Saturday, May 7. The time for that auction has not been finalized yet.

Another will be held on the first Saturday of October. Potted trees, burlapped root ball trees and shrubs will be for sale.

Auctions are held at the Arthur Produce Auction facility, 354 N. County Road 100E, Arthur. More information is available by calling 543-5100 or Raber at 853-1699.

Are you opening a new business or changing an existing business? Christine des Garennes can be reached by phone at 351-5388 or 800-252-3346; by email at cgarenne@news-gazette.com; or by regular mail at The News-Gazette, c/o It's Your Business column, P.O. Box 677, Champaign, IL 61824-0677.