On January 24 and 25, the Vibrant Arena at the MARK will host feats of staggering skill when the touring Professional Championship Bull Riders & Barrel Racers show returns to Moline, its national success based on a simple concept: Place one determined cowboy on the back of a cranky 2,000-pound bull and see whether he can stay on the gigantic, bucking beast for eight long seconds – and do it with only one hand gripping the animal’s backside.
Held in conjunction with the Davenport venue's new exhibition Play On! German Immigrants and the Quad Cities' Musical Legacy, the German American Heritage Center presents the fascinating program Blues in the Quad Cities: A True American Artistic Creation on January 25.
Lauded by St. Louis' STL.com for his "quick wit and fast thinking," and beloved for his YouTube channel on which he posts content and occasionally streams a show titled Dog Vlog, standup comedian Drew Lynch returns to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on January 30, his credits including a recurring role in the final season of IFC's hit series Maron and several appearances on TBS' Conan.
For one night only, on January 30, the LeClaire Community Library will be locking its doors and turning down the lights for face painting, snacks, crafts, a sing-along, and more in the KPop Demon Hunters After-Hours Party, with area youths invited to join Huntrix or the Saja Boys in hunting down demons hiding in the library – and in the dark.
On January 30, patrons of Moline's Vibrant Arena at the MARK are invited to witness as the most fearless racers shred the arena's solid ice track with more than 2,000 razor-sharp studs in their tires, the World Championship ICE Racing “Crazy Train” Tour finding its competitors hitting off-the-chart speeds, and going from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds, as they battle for the World Championship ICE Racing Title.
The ACLU's 63-page report released last month is a very valuable and exhaustive work product that every elected official who has an oath of office to uphold the state and federal constitution, and protect the governed who consented to have their rights protected, should read.
Iowa Government Entities Should Get Out of License Plate Surveillance Contracts
Iowa ACLU and University of Iowa Technical Law Clinic Release Exhaustive and Alarming Report on Automatic License Plate Readers Statewide
Local governments in Iowa should pause the use of automated license plate readers, civil rights advocates said last month, arguing the devices infringe on the privacy of drivers who have not violated any laws.
The first indication that I was in serious trouble came when the second defense attorney I contacted in Washington, DC, informed me that the Constitution—the supreme law of the land in the United States – did not apply in our nation’s capital. The first attorney who told me that was just wrong, I thought. But when the second guy told me the same thing,
Over the past five years, I have offered my rationale for believing the events that unfolded in D.C. on January 6, 2021 (J6) was far less an insurrection and far more a fedsurrection because review of the enormous amount of evidence available proves this conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt. But Americans have to be willing to review such evidence for themselves to understand how much proof there actually is, how incontrovertible it is, and how heartbreaking it is that such a profound degree of division and condemnation could ever occur en masse toward innocents, most of whom are family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, based entirely on a maliciously conjured fiction for no other reason than to punish a perceived political enemy, Donald J Trump, and his supporters.
Over my 67 years in the Midwest, I’ve watched generations leave small towns for larger cities. I understand the appeal: opportunity, stimulation, anonymity, convenience. Alongside this pervasive trend, a political shift is taking place: socialism has become more acceptable and capitalism less revered, especially in the nation’s largest metros.
From January 23 through February 1, the Center for Living Arts, the Penguin Project of the Quad Cities, and Augustana College's theatre department will team up to help turn adolescents and adults with special needs into stage stars for the eagerly awaited Frozen Jr., a one-act version of the Tony nominee based on Disney's Oscar-winning animated classic that stands as one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time.
Opening its 2026 with a musical comedy hailed by Tripod as "sublimely silly and highly entertaining," the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse presents the Quad Cities debut of Lucky Stiff from January 21 through March 7, this delightful song-and-dance slapstick inspiring RachelReviewsTheatre.com to rave that the stage treat "has that energy a good farce should have, and I was laughing throughout."
Returning to Iowa City's Riverside Theatre with her first solo show in years, area favorite Megan Gogerty – a co-star in last spring's The Lifespan of a Fact – performs her self-written autobiographical play Fair State from January 22 through February 1, this debuting dramatic-comedy monologue production designed by Chris Rich and stage managed by Meenakshi Chinmai.
With the latest stage presentation by Barely There Theatre a trio of brand-new one-act plays making their world premieres in the Quad Cities, playwright, producer, and Reader theatre reviewer's What Might Have Been runs at Moline's Black Box Theatre January 29 through February 7, the production boasting stories that explore the roads not taken, as well as the choices, chances, and curiosities that shape our lives.
Performing a glorious repertoire of works by composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Dietrich Buxtehude, Alfred V. Fedak, David German, David Hurd, Jean Langlais, and Josef Rheinberg, University of Dubuque organist and professor of music Dr. Charles Barland will deliver a faculty organ recital of varied works on January 24, the event demonstrating the many varieties of sound and color that are possible on the Heritage Center's magnificent John and Alice Butler Pipe Organ.
Hailed by Saving Country Music as an artist who "might be the most distinctive singer of our era, and in any genre," rising country-rock star Myron Elkins makes his headlining debut at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on January 29, his debut album Factories, Farms, & Amphetamines lauded by Holler Country as "a gritty, no-holds-barred glimpse at life in America’s heartland."
With Elmore magazine raving about his “intimate and confessional” lyrics and Live Gig Shots describing him as “one of the best, most versatile songwriters around,” folk-rock singer/songwriter and Illinois native Dan Hubbard and his band return to Davenport's Redstone Room on January 30, the album-release show for his six song EP Vol 1: Letting Go demonstrating why Independent Clauses stated, “Dan Hubbard should be on your to-hear list.”
Touring in support of his new album Skyman set for release this April, veteran recording artist and touring musician Scott Kinnebrew brings his project Sounding Arrow to Davenport's Raccoon Motel on January 30, the indie-pop and -rock singer/songwriter/instrumentalist hailed by Glide as a talent who “combines an effortless storytelling approach akin to Jeff Tweedy, along with a playful and catchy knack for DIY indie reminiscent of Dr. Dog, My Morning Jacket, and Delta Spirit.”
A delightful multimedia show composed of 12 short films by Georges Méliès, a pioneer of the cinema and wizard of special effects, the popular touring production Right in the Eye lands at Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre on February 1, the event's three virtuoso musicians playing some 50 different instruments – including rare and unique ones – and breathing fresh impetus into these cinematographic gems.
The biggest story regarding contenders for the 98th Oscars, which were revealed this morning by Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman at 7:30 a.m. CT, is Sinners. And it's quite literally The Biggest Story, as Ryan Coogler's period vampire musical flew away with 16 nods – the most citations for one movie in Academy Awards history.
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, January 22: Discussion of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, No Other Choice, and The Rip' previews of Mercy and Return to Silent Hill; and much commentary on this morning's announcement of Academy Awards nominations mere minutes after they happened. Sinners with 16, baby!
I couldn't wait for last year's 28 Years Later to end. I was disappointed when this one did, as another half-hour or so would've been totally fine by me.
Lauded by Screen Zealots as "a cinematic wake-up call" and by Beyond the Cinemadome as "investigative documentary journalism at its finest and most urgent," Out of Plain Sight serves as the second presentation in 2026 QC Environmental Film Series hosted by River Action.
Now playing at area theaters.
Always an eagerly awaited series at the Figge Art Museum, the latest incarnation of Young Artists at the Figge will be on display from January 26 through May 24, with the Davenport venue celebrating the accomplishments of budding creative talents whose works will be showcased in a continuing series of individual exhibitions.
Inviting visitors to reflect on themes central to the artist's practice – including the joyful celebration of LGBTQ identity, acknowledgment of ongoing challenges to the community’s rights, and the enduring impact of the AIDS epidemic – Felix Gonzalez-Torres: "Untitled" (L.A.) will be on display in the Figge Art Museum's Gildehaus Gallery from January 24 through June 26.
Closing 2025, and opening 2026, with an arresting and enthralling collection of surreal paintings and sculpture, Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center will house the Boone & Zahn exhibition through January 30, treating gallery attendees to a series of remarkable works by the Chicago area's Berthold Boone and Moline's David Zahn.
With Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss known for their witty explorations of human nature, the duo's acclaimed 1987 video The Way Things Go will be screened in the Figge Art Museum's Lewis Gallery through February 8, this playful spectacle revered for transforming destruction into art, and embracing absurdity and unpredictability as essential parts of life.
Boasting a vibrant collection of visual narratives from University of Dubuque students in the ART 367 Digital Photography course, the exhibition Mosaic Moments: Storytelling by Students will be on display in the university's Bisignano Art Gallery through February 13, each image designed to act as a distinct tile in a larger mosaic of storytelling.
You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Real Astrology and RCR Crossword every week?)
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