The Venue CU

11/27/2025

Today we are especially thankful for our wonderful couples and clients who trust us with their special moments. Wishing everyone a warm and beautiful Thanksgiving. 🍂🧡
albaugh.photographer

11/24/2025

Thank you to Champaign Center Partnership for sharing about the special treat we have brought back to the community!

11/23/2025

Day 3: Our team had the day to explore Anna Maria Island and relax on a beach we found that wasn't as busy as some others. Then we headed to Bridge Street and had the priviledge of being a part of a candy cane making experience with the children for their kick off to the holiday season street fest. We watched the Christmas Tree lighting and had a great time making more canes to bring back to Champaign. We ended our evening with a delicious dinner at with the Vriner family. It was a lovely conclusion to a fantastic weekend.

Order your candy canes here: https://thevenuecu.square.site/

11/22/2025

Thank you to the for sharing our story!

https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/community-events/special-order-of-vriners-candy-canes-coming-back-to-former-confectionery/article_d40d114c-75bd-4db5-a52d-aee16b20c80c.html

A link to order candy canes is coming soon!

11/22/2025

Day 2: Yesterday, our team had a relaxing morning and enjoyed a midday boat trip with Captain Kylie where we saw dolphins swimming and tons of birds and explored a sand bar. Kylie has a wealth of knowledge of the area and we highly recommend this experience!

Then we headed back to Anna Maria island to witness another beautiful sunset before joining the Vriner's for our candy cane making training. We completed our first batch and cannot wait to make a couple more batches today.

11/21/2025

Day 1: We found Historic Bridge Street and the iconic marble slab that was used to make candy 127 years ago at Vriner's Confectionary. Then Peter took us over to Bradenton Beach to experience a majestic sunset. We ended the evening with a dinner in the sand planning our next few days of candy canes making together.

11/20/2025

The story of 55 E Main Street is a story that has connected two families. One family, The Vriner's (Vrinios) family who owned a confectionary at this address beginning in 1898 and saw the evolution of the business for nearly 100 years. The other family, who owns The Venue CU (Bugbee and Church), intend to create a family legacy that lasts just as long in Downtown Champaign.

This weekend we will reunite once again, this time on the pier in Bradenton Beach, Florida. The Venue Team is honored to learn a process that began 127 years ago! We will bring back a few hundred Vriner's Candy Canes to Champaign to return this nostalgic confection to our community this Holiday Season!

Follow our journey over the next few days and be on the lookout for the link to pre-order your own handmade canes made by The Venue CU ownership and Peter Vriner!

11/18/2025

Our team is pleased to introduce The Flats at The Venue CU! Our 6 loft style vacation rentals are located directly above The Ballroom in our historical building at 51 E. Main Street in Downtown Champaign.

Each unit is uniquely themed with touches paying homage to the history of our piece of Main Street. With four 2-bedroom units and two 1-bedroom units we are excited to provide luxurious lodging to our clients and our community. You can book your stay at: https://thevenuecu.lodgify.com/

10/28/2025

We are excited to be part of a fun weekend in C-U!

🦇Halloween Week: For the Grownups!🦇
Book the babysitter and pick your poison:

🍺 Halloween in the Taproom, Riggs Beer Company: Start early on October 31 and step into the darkness in the spooked-out taproom—where the pours are cold, the vibes are creepy, and Beasty (a Texas Monster) lurks in the wings. 👹

🖤 Bat Factory Halloween Party, Rose Bowl Tavern: The perfect soundtrack for a Friday late-night Halloween—moody goth & industrial with driving beats and shadowy synths (not to mention a costume contest, live performers, and vendors!). Tickets are $13 in advance or $18 at the door. 18+ to enter, 21+ to imbibe. 🧛‍♂️

🍸 Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, The Venue CU : A 4-part chilling cocktail experience: themed drinks paired with Poe’s tales, narrated by the Poe Historians. You’ve got a few dates to choose from (Thurs., Fri, Sat.), so reserve your spot today: http://bit.ly/4nslraQ 🥀

From taps to tales to thumping bass—choose your haunt and go! 🧟‍♀️

07/29/2025

13 years in a row, and regularly serving events at The Venue CU!!!

06/25/2025

A wonderful celebration of life today for Amanda Edgington. Her service was a wonderful testimony to a life well lived for God, family and friends. Left to soon. She was part of our The Venue CU Team. She will be missed.

06/14/2025

Great time for The Venue CU owners. Bruce Hall of REO Speedwagon