Five days of outdoor fun will be on hand when East Moline's Rock Island Country Fairgrounds hosts the annual Rock Island County Fair July 16 through 20, offering patrons mornings, afternoons, and evenings filled with carnival rides, games, food vendors, animal shows, racing tournaments, 4-H events, live music performances, and exciting happenings scheduled for the nights' grandstand entertainment.
A former Mayor of Moline now beloved for his delightful series of picture books starring a hand-drawn version of his own dog, local author Allen McCaulley will visit the Rock Island Public Library Watts-Midtown Branch on July 16, sharing tales (or "tails") of what inspired him to be a writer, as well as his series of stories starring the wonderful Whimsical Max.
A former grade-school teacher who, in his career as a standup, has performed alongside the likes of the Smothers Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, and George Jones, Seattle-based comedian Brad Upton headlines two July 18 performances at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room, the popular touring presence famed for such TV specials as I'm Not Done Yet! and Will Be Funny for Money.
Delivering a blend of local history, environmental issues, education, entertainment, and fresh air, Davenport's River Action will present a series of outdoor presentations in the second month-plus of the annual Channel Cat Talks and Riverine Walks: weekly programs that, from July 9 through August 3, will address such topics as the music of jazz artists Bix Beiderbecke and Louie Bellson, Nahant Marsh, local lock-and-dam systems, and the majestic Quad City pelican.
Through September 15, fascinating stories of struggle, perseverance, tragedy, and triumph will be shared at Davenport's German American Heritage Center in the venue's Immigration Then & Now: Finding Refuge in the Quad Cities, a meaningful, locally themed exhibition presented in partnership with World Relief Quad Cities and supported by the Moline Regional Community Foundation.
A little-noticed bill passed both the Illinois House and Senate that will generate $300 to $400 million a year for local governments, including $95-127 million for the Regional Transportation Authority. The bill (SB3362) will help capture sales tax revenue from more out of state retailers and in-state retailers who ship to Illinoisans in out-of-state locations.
A global effort by advocates, campaigners, journalists, organizers, and supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pushed President Joe Biden’s administration to finally free Assange.
The Iowa Utilities Board gave its approval Tuesday June 25, 2024 for the controversial Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline and for the company to use eminent domain to acquire landowners’ property.
The company hopes to begin construction next year with the goal of making the pipeline operational in 2026. The pipeline, which would be the largest of its kind anywhere in the world, would carry liquified carbon dioxide from ethanol plants in Iowa and surrounding states to a site in North Dakota, where the company hopes for reconsideration and approval of a previously denied permit.
Two cases are before the Iowa Supreme Court this week – one involving killing babies and the other killing germs.
Nothing supplants our U.S. Constitution – no legislation, no executive order, no judicial ruling, unless we Americans permit such violations.
The Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's current production is The Bikinis, which is subtitled A New Musical Beach Party, and I attended Thursday's preview night. The musical part is enjoyable; the four singers and four-member band perform admirably. However, I'd personally subtitle the rest of the show When Bad Scripts Happen to Good People.
Dear Quad Cities Theatergoer,
It may seem strange that I should be writing this letter, the explanation being that 84 Charing Cross Road, now playing at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, is a play that is almost exclusively epistolatory in nature: The story is told through the recitation of letters. The opening-night performance was a charming evening, and in telling you about it, I could think of no better method than through that of a letter.
I was overdue for captivating theatre, and on Friday, the Black Box Theatre delivered.
If you’ve ever wondered what a collaboration between George Orwell and Freddie Mercury would look like, you’ll find your answer in We Will Rock You, now playing at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre.
The summer-theatre season trundles on with the latest from the Timber Lake Playhouse: The Wizard of Oz. While it features some strong performances, a children’s choir double digits strong, and even an acting dog, certain directing choices made by Chaz Wolcott hinder this timeless classic.
With the star-studded ensemble composed of Jon Auer (The Posies), Chris Stamey (The dB's), Pat Sansone and John Stirratt (Wilco), and original Big Star member Jody Stephens, the Big Star Quintet headlines a special July 15 concert event at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, 2024 marking the 50th anniversary of Radio City, the legendary sophomore release from the highly influential Memphis band Big Star.
With All Punked Up raving that the band produces "the kind of music that makes you wanna get up, jump around, and sing at the top of your lungs," the pop-punk and alternative-rock musicians of We the Kings headline a July 18 concert at Davenport's Capitol Theatre, Newsday magazine adding that the touring outfit "can keep experimenting because their music is built on such a solid foundation of songwriting craftsmanship."
Praised by Rolling Stone for "marrying world-weary lyrics with ebullient melodies," the multi-platinum-selling alternative rockers of Gin Blossoms headline a July 19 concert event at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, the band beloved for such top-10 Billboard smashes as "Found Out About You," "Follow You Down," "'Til I Hear from You," and their signature hit "Hey Jealousy."
His legendary live shows described by NME as "crossing the line between music and bloodsport," experimental musician Lucas "Granpa" Abela, who also performs under the stage moniker Justice Yeldham, headlines a July 19 concert event at Rock Island's Roxx-Tox, the New York Times' David Rees describing the artist's live sets by saying, "One moment you hear John Coltrane playing a volcano, the next you hear a string section being squeezed through a toothpaste tube."
Revered for such chart-topping hits as "Let It Rain" (featuring Sarah Buxton) and "Whatever She's Got," country singer/songwriter and guitarist David Nail headlines a July 19 concert event at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, his credits including the lauded studio albums I'm About to Come Alive, The Sound of a Million Dreams, I'm a Fire, and Fighter, as well as the popular EPs 1979 and Uncovered.
It makes perfect sense that Nicolas Cage would be cast as the titular monster in Longlegs, considering that writer/director Osgood Perkins' horror thriller is like the cinematic equivalent of most Cage performances: deliberately gonzo, weirdly earnest, alternately transfixing and repellent, and, in the end, perhaps trying a bit too hard.
A modern-day triptych of parables both ludicrous and resonant, and Yorgos Lanthimos' first project set in the United States, the movie probably won't find Academy Awards in the offing. That hardly matters, though, for a work that delivers this many belly laughs, most of them accompanying dropped jaws, and this much thematic meat to chew on.
How disappointing to find the Manhattan populace in this Quiet Place prequel adhering to a silence-is-golden policy within what seems like minutes of the first alien assault, and to find Day One subsequently adhering, essentially, to the same narrative blueprint as before.
Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too.
Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again.
Thursday, June 27: Discussion of The Bikeriders, The Exorcism, and Thelma, and previews of A Quiet Place: Day One, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1, and a few Netflix titles. The guys are taking next Thursday off, as well as the Thursday after that, so plan on there being muuuuuuch to chat about on July 18th.
Held in conjunction with the dazzling collection of colorful wonders on display in Walter Wick: Hidden Wonders!, Davenport's Figge Art Museum will host an exclusive Member Reception for the artist on July 17 and an Artist Talk with Wick on July 18, free events featuring the talent who has fascinated people of all ages since 1992, when his first children's-book series I Spy landed on the bookshelves of millions of American households.
Held in conjunction with the dazzling collection of colorful wonders on display in Walter Wick: Hidden Wonders!, Davenport's Figge Art Museum will host a Highlights Tour of the exhibit on July 25, with a museum docent guiding visitors through the works of a talent who has fascinated people of all ages since 1992, when his first children's-book series I Spy landed on the bookshelves of millions of American households.
Arresting blasts of color and trenchant themes will both be on display at the Quad City Arts Center from June 28 through August 9, with the Rock Island venue, in its summer exhibition Danyluk & Goodvin, treating patrons to the exquisite oil paintings of Chantal Danyluk and screen prints of Kate Goodvin.
With Davenport's Figge Art Museum holding a small yet impressive collection of Medieval and early-Renaissance manuscripts from Europe, the Middle East, and India, a selection of 12 of these works will be on view through August 11, as Illumination: Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts from the Figge Collection offers a cross-cultural examination of hand-painted book illustrations and typography from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Arresting shapes, bold designs, and beautiful photographs in both color and black-or-white will be showcased at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery from July 3 through August 26, this latest exhibition featuring works of photography by Brad Perkins and Mark Weller alongside ceramic sculpture by Laura Vincent-Arnold.
You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Amy Alkon Advice Goddess, Real Astrology, Red Meat cartoon and RCR Crossword every week?)
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