July 1 marked the beginning of a new era in Champaign-Urbana as heavily renovated Sholem Aquatic Center reopened to the public. The new pool has a children's pool, a lap pool, an activity pool, a lazy river and two waterslides. The bathhouse and concession stands have also been redone.

The Taste of Champaign is held every year in West Side Park. The event is sponsored by several area businesses and is an opportunity for people to sample food from area restaurants. The event gets larger every year and this year also includes kids games, arts and crafts, a petting zoo and live music. Several thousand people will attend the event over its three-day run.

On June 17 at Douglass Park in Champaign, the Douglass Branch Library hosted a Juneteenth Celebration. The event featured a speaker, several children's games, food and a book sale. Juneteenth is a celebration of the day when the last slaves of the South learned of their emancipation during the Civil War. More than 100 people attended the event.

From June 12 to 15, the Savoy Recreation Center held its first ever All-Star Sports Camp. The camp was open to youngsters ages 5 to 11 and was designed to allow the kids to test their skills in basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, kickball and soccer.