• “Sesame Street Presents! Elmo's Got the Moves,” November 4

    On November 4, you're invited to make unforgettable memories with your little ones at Sesame Street Presents! Elmo’s Got the Moves, an exciting experience at Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre that brings Elmo and his Sesame Street friends to the stage with singing, dancing, and favorite songs like “Sunny Days,” "Letter of the Day," and the show's bouncy title tune.

  • Antique Spectacular Fall Vintage Market, November 6 through 8

    One of the area's most eagerly anticipated sales events returns to Rock Island's QCCA Expo Center November 6 through 8 as Melting Pot Productions, Inc. presents this year's fall Antique Spectacular Vintage Market, allowing hunters of vintage goods an all-weekend opportunity to shop for a wide range of quality antiques.

  • “Everyday Lives, Extraordinary Voices: Ruth Suckow's Iowa,” through November 15

    Inspired by her upbringing at the turn of the 20th century and considered “Iowa’s first feminist writer,” Ruth Suckow was largely forgotten until researchers rediscovered her story in the 1980s. Consequently, the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association, with the support of Humanities Iowa, has developed a traveling exhibition celebrating the life and work of this Iowa novelist and short-story writer who lived from 1892 to 1960, the exhibit Everyday Lives, Extraordinary Voices: Ruth Suckow's Iowa on display at Davenport's German American Heritage Center through November 15.

  • “Legacy of the Land: Treaties and the Shaping of America,” through February 7

    Developed in collaboration with the National Museum of American Indian and Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street, the Putnam Museum & Science Center's fascinating new traveling exhibit Legacy of the Land: Treaties and the Shaping of America will be on display through February 7, a special exhibition preview event scheduled for Friday, September 18.

  • “Shaped by Immigrants: Celebrating 250 Years of the United States,” through November 1

    Over the past 250 years, German immigrants and their descendants, particularly in the Midwest, have helped develop, challenge, and improve the United States. The German American Heritage Center will consequently celebrate their history and accomplishments in Shaped by Immigrants: Celebrating 250 Years of the United States, on display in the Davenport venue through November 1.

  • To Sort Out the Votes on New Bears Stadiums and Data Centers, Even the Devil Would Sell His Soul

    A few weeks ago, Governor JB Pritzker told reporters that negotiators are closer than they’d ever been to a deal with the Bears to stay in Illinois. The Bears are threatening to decamp to a wasteland in Northwest Indiana’s dirty energy and industrial corridor.

  • Scott County Board of Supervisors 2026.10.06 Committe of the Whole Meeting Screen Shot
    Three Topics for Scott County Supervisor 2026 Election Candidates

    Policy Practices, NDAs, and County Home Rule Relative to Iowa Utilities Commission

    There are five supervisor seats on the county board, and elected supervisors serve four-year terms. This year, there are three open seats, and two of the three incumbents are running again, as Ross Paustian did not run again. Only one of the two incumbents, Jean Dickson, responded to the questionnaire. Supervisors are paid $45-50,000 annually plus health and retirement benefits. Five of the seven candidates vying for the three seats participated this year. Responses are in alphabetical order by family name.

  • OCT 2026 Scott County Treasurer Office Webpage
    Three Topics for 2026 Scott County Treasurer Election Candidates: By Appointment Only?, Paul Revere Square vs County Store, Public Hours

    The incumbent Scott County Treasurer, Tony Knobbe has served since 2023, and last fiscal year was paid $102,313 plus benefits. Knobbe is not running for re-election and there are two candidates for a single seat that has a four-year term, Greg Guy and Samuel Samara. Responses are in alphabetical order by family name.

  • OCT 2026 Scott County Recorder Property Fraud Alert Webpage Screenshot
    Two Topics for Scott County Recorder Candidates: No Appointment Necessary? and Mortgage Fraud Protection

    According to the Scott County, Iowa Recorder's Office's web page, "The Recorder's Office was created by the First Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Iowa in 1839."
    The incumbent Recorder, Rita Vargas has served since 2002, and last fiscal year was paid $102,313 plus benefits. Vargas is not running for re-election and there are two candidates for a single seat that has a four-year term, Tony Paone and Michael Wulf. Responses are in alphabetical order by family name.

  • Iowa Governor Candidates Zach Lahn and Rob Sand Getting Nothing Done In the So Called Debates
    Nine Questions That Should Be in the Iowa 2026 Gubernatorial Debates

    Lazy Uni-Potty Platitudes and Posturing or Genuine Problem-Solving Leaders?

    The two candidates for Iowa governor (the uni-potty worked very hard to eliminate any third-party candidate from getting on the ballot) will be “slugging it out” on four televised debates: Tuesday, October 6, at 7 p.m. Davenport, hosted by KWQC; Wednesday, October 14, at 7 p.m. – Sioux City, hosted by KTIV; Wednesday, October 21, at 7 p.m. – Iowa PBS debate, airing statewide; Tuesday, October 27, at 6:30 p.m. – Cedar Rapids, hosted by KCRG and The Gazette. The limited accessibility to this debate series begs the question, "Have the Iowa governor debates been captured by a single media outlet Gray Media to be used both as leverage to secure mobile app subscribers and as a beta testing ground with limited visibitliy to sus out the nuances of how these two uni-party candidates shall present themselves in the final stretch to November 3rd election day?" 

  • Declaration of Indepundence: We the People, in Order to Form an Imperfect Union … : “The Complete History of America (abridged),” at St. Ambrose University through November 8

    In April, I saw the charming A Year With Frog & Toad, and was thrilled to see that fully half of that show's cast was involved in St. Ambrose's current production. The actors I already knew are still delightful, as are the three performers I hadn’t seen before.

  • “The Minutes,” November 6 through 14

    Hailed by the Chicago Sun-Times as "astonishing" and "a pitch black comedy about the current state of American politics," Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts' The Minutes enjoys its area debut with a November 6 through 14 run at Moline's Black Box Theatre, the Chicago Tribune adding that this "explosive" work "deftly captures the tension of patriotic grandiosity and provincial defensiveness found in city halls across the land."

  • Every Rose Has Its Thorn: “Rock of Ages,” at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through November 7

    Rock of Ages was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. “Wait – what?” I said when I read of these accomplishments after seeing the show. I eventually unearthed why.

  • “The Turn of the Screw,” October 23 through November 8

    With the British Theatre Guide praising the play for delivering “plenty of moments that are funny, frightening, or exciting,” playwright Jeffrey Hatcher's take on Henry James' classic chiller The Turn of the Screw enjoys an October 23 through November 8 run at Iowa City's Riverside Theatre, the Los Angeles Times hailing the work as “an ingenious twist on an old-school ghost story."

  • “A Christmas Carol,” November 11 through December 29

    With their beloved musical adaptation a perennial Madison Square Garden event from the show's 1994 debut through 2003, Tony Award winners Lynn Ahrens' and Alan Menken's A Christmas Carol will put the "hum" in "Humbug!" from November 11 through December 29, this delightful holiday fable the first production in the 50th-anniversary season at Rock Island's venerated Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse.

  • Elanor Moss, November 2

    Traveling the country in support of her full-length album debut The Knife, the Needle, singer/songwriter and guitarist Elanor Moss makes her headlining debut at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on November 2, AllMusic raving that the musician's first LP is "a quietly stunning album throughout, and Moss delivers all the songs with a calm understanding that's as profound as her subject matter."

  • Sicksense, November 5

    Touring in support of their September release Funerals, the metal artists of Sicksense headline a November 5 concert at Davenport's Redstone Room at Common Chord, Crucial Rhythm praising the band's third EP as "a compact but remarkably varied release, moving between furious aggression, sarcastic defiance, emotional heaviness, and genuine grief without ever losing the band's unmistakable identity."

  • talker, November 5

    Touring in support of her 2026 release Runaway Jane, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Celeste Tauchar brings her indie-rock project talker to Davenport's Raccoon Motel on November 5, the artist describing her sound as "emo indie rock with glitter all over it."

  • Blue Öyster Cult, November 6

    One of very few hard-rock and heavy-metal bands to earn both mainstream critical acclaim and major commercial success, Blue Öyster Cult returns to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on November 6, the groups hits "(Don't Fear) the Reaper," "Godzilla," and "Burnin' for You" among the biggest from more than five decades of professional acclaim.

  • Free Fallin: The Tom Petty Concert Experience, November 6

    The thrilling repertoire of a three-time Grammy Award winner and recipient of the esteemed Billboard Century Award will be celebrated at East Moline venue the Rust Belt on November 6, the Minnesotan tribute artists of Free Fallin: The Tom Petty Concert Experience saluting the legendary bandleader of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and the remarkable career that saw more than a dozen of his songs topping the Billboard charts.

  • Semi-Silly Putty: “Clayface,” “Wildwood,” “Wicker,” and “A Talent for Murder”

    I may not have been wowed by Clayface, but it's hardly a disappointment, and also a decent amount of fun.

  • Mike Schulz with Dave & Darren on Planet 93.9 FM

    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, October 29: Discussion of Clayface, Wildwood, Wicker, and A Talent for Murder, and previews of Everest: The Other Side, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, Fjord, and Christmas at the Kringles. Also a plug for this upcoming Tuesday's advance screenings of Godzilla Minus Zero, which is reportedly even better than Godzilla Minus One. Super-fans Dave and Mike don't see how that's possible, but are eager to find out.

  • Holmes and Sherlock: “You Can See Everything” and “Musk”

    Until it turns into something more trenchant and far more mind-blowing, directors Nathan Fielder's and Lance Oppenheim's three-hour A24 documentary You Can See Everything – as transfixing a 2026 entertainment as I've yet seen – is like being at the most exciting Texas Hold 'Em game of your life.

  • “Tick … Tick … Boom!,” November 5

    Lauded by Entertainment Weekly as a "totem for the thrills and trials of making art, with all the sacrifices and empathy it requires," the Oscar-nominated musical Tick ... Tick ... Boom! enjoys a November 5 screening at Davenport's Figge Art Museum, this showcase for the musicianship of Rent creator Jonathan Larson and star Andrew Garfield praised by Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus as "an impressive feat for debuting director Lin-Manuel Miranda."

  • Now Playing: Friday, October 30, through Thursday, November 5

    Now playing at area theaters.

Art

  • “Bowden & Shultz-Hetrick,” through November 2

    With the artists encouraging their audience to pause and find hidden details in their work., two Midwestern talents are showcasing pieces at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery through November 2, the Bowden & Shultz-Hetrick exhibit hosting abstract paintings by Peotone, Illinois' James Bowden and fused-glass art by Cedar Rapids' Barbara Shultz-Hetrick.

  • “Coming Home,” through November 6

    Presenting a fascinating display of sumi-e art, the traditional Japanese form of ink-was painting that uses black ink, water, and minimalist brush strokes to capture the inner spirit of natural subjects, Karen Kurka Jensen's Coming Home will be on display in Black Hawk College's ArtSpace Gallery through November 6, a closing reception and artist talk scheduled at the Moline gallery on November 5.

  • “The Monster Under My Bed,” through December 4

    An arresting and thought-provoking group show featuring 38 pieces of art made by 27 Midwestern artists whose work explores the many forms our “monsters” can take, The Monster Under My Bed will be on display at Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center through December 4, this exhibition designed to demonstrate ways in which creativity can help us give shape to experiences that are difficult to put into words.

  • “Connie & Michael Roberts: Portrait of America,” through January 3

    Timed to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the United States' Declaration of Independence, the Figge Art Museum exhibition Connie & Michael Roberts: Portrait of America will be on display in the Davenport venue's Lewis Gallery through January 3, this arresting collection of works inviting audiences to reflect on the individuals who helped shape our nation’s history.

  • “Art Bridges: Ulrich Museum of Art,” through January 3

    From now rhrough January 3, masterworks on loan from Wichita, Kansas will be presented throughout the Figge’s Art Museum's Linda and J. Randolph Lewis Wing, with the exhibition Art Bridges: Ulrich Museum of Art presented through the Art Bridges Partner Loan Network – an art-sharing initiative that connects museums across the country.