Presenting a panel discussion on the new Jane E. Simonsen book about Rock Island's Augustana College, the Davenport Public Library's Eastern Avenue Branch, on June 2, hosts a talk on the fascinating nonfiction Called to Reckon: Replacing History & Reclaiming Mission at a Midwestern College.
Hailed by DC Metro Arts as “an exhilarating ride of pride and precision” and by the Chicago Tribune as “superbly and joyously performed,” the touring spectacle Riverdance 30: The New Generation comes to Davenport's Adler Theatre on June 3, this astoundingly choreographed sensation a show that, according to Broadway World, “will appeal to long-time fans and captivate a new audience.”
A tradition of 40-plus years that has attracted more than 25,000 people each summer to downtown Iowa City, the Iowa Arts Festival, from June 5 through 7, will showcase a wide array of visual artists from local and national levels.
On June 6, the Bettendorf Room at the Bettendorf Public Library will definitely be "the Room where it happens," with the venue hosting a 2 p.m. Hamilton Sing-Along Party in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Delivering a blend of local history, environmental issues, education, entertainment, and fresh air, Davenport's River Action will again present a series of outdoor presentations in the first month-plus of the annual Channel Cat Talks and Riverine Walks: weekly "Explore the River Series" programs that, from May 26 through June 27, will address such topics as raptors, barges, Modern Woodmen Park, and the historically wicked night spot that was Davenport's Bucktown.
In response to a question last week from my associate Isabel Miller, Governor JB Pritzker said he didn’t think a group of progressive legislators could pass their progressive revenue bills through both chambers by the end of the spring session.
Every year when the Legislature arrives at mid-May, it’s always tempting to look around, see the absence of real bicameral movement on legislation, and conclude that nothing’s gonna happen in time for the scheduled May 31 adjournment. Succumbing to that temptation this year may not be a bad bet, but things can change. Right now, though, evidence of major movement is super-slim.
Before the House passed the megaprojects bill last month, we were told that the drafters didn’t want to just do some symbolic or “token” property-tax relief. After the chamber passed the bill, we were told the property-tax component will provide meaningful statewide relief for home-owners.
Faterium Bike Race Remembers Its Founder Dustin Collison: This Memorial Day Weekend, the 2026 Quad Cities Criterium Will Feature the Fat Bike Race Collison Innovated in the Rain in 2014Mor
The Quad Cities Bicycle Club (QCBC) is excited to announce the return of the Quad Cities Faterium as part of the 2026 Quad Cities Criterium, taking place Monday, May 25, 2026 (Memorial Day) in the Village of East Davenport. This year’s Faterium will celebrate Dustin Collison’s memory. Dustin's spontaneous and inspired rain-soaked ride in 2014 sparked one of this race weekend's most beloved modern traditions.
More than a year ago, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget was projecting a $3.2 billion deficit for what is now the current fiscal year. Part of the problem was that existing revenues were flat while spending was growing, according to the budget office.
One of the most beloved stage musicals in American history, as well as a Tony Award nominee for Best Original Score, composer Stephen Schwartz's timeless Godspell opens the mainstage season at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, the show's May 29 through June 7 run treating audiences to what NewCity Stage called "a terrific show – fresh, inventive, timeless, and rich."
Hailed by the New York Daily Mirror as “a hit you must see” and by the Los Angeles Times as “a handsomely staged case for miracles,” playwright N. Richard Nash's 1953 classic The Rainmaker enjoys a June 4 through 14 run at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, this optimistic charmer famed for its beloved 1956 movie adaptation starring Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn.
One of William Shakespeare's most delightful and infrequently staged romantic comedies opens Genesius Guild's 2026 summer season at Rock Island's Lincoln Park, with Love's Labour's Lost, from June 6 through 14, treating audiences to what the New York Times' Ben Brantley called a work that "may well be the first and best example of a genre that would flourish in less sophisticated forms five centuries later: the college comedy."
One of the greatest and most beloved musicals in the history of American theatre opens the 2026 summer season at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, with Guys & Dolls running from June 11 through 21, and treating audiences to a nine-time Tony Award winner that the New York Times called “the show that defines Broadway dazzle.”
I enjoy experiencing new-to-me talent, but it’s cozy and comforting to see familiar faces at the theatre.
Revered for delivering high-energy performances, driven by searing harmonica and passionate vocals, Brandon Santini returns to Davenport's Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill in a concert co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society, his May 31 headlining engagement treating audiences to the artist whom Blues Blast magazine called "one of the best harp players in the blues scene today."
Celebrating both the organization's 50th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the United States this May, the revered vocal ensemble Choral Dynamics presents its annual pre-summer show at the Orhpeum Theatre May 29 through 31, with Raising Spirits with Song boasting favorite choral tunes, patriotic numbers, and memories of the past 50 years in Galesburg.
Touring in support of her February release Dedication, an album in which, according to The Spill Magazine, "all the experience she has gathered so far as an artist is coming to full bloom," alternative-folk singer/songwriter Mirah headlines a June 1 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, her latest recording hailed by Pitchfork as a "wistful account of motherhood, gratitude, and grief" where "unabashed earnestness is its greatest strength."
Touring in support of his most recent album Winged Victory, which Glide magazine praised as "timeless folk music" that "addresses these times without being straight-out protest music," singer/songwriter Willi Carlisle headlines a June 5 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Moon, the artist's frequently cheeky recording also hailed by SputnikMusic as "Chock-full of innuendos, comedically verbose tangents and brutally honest horniness."
Praised by the Memphis Flyer for "eschewing de rigueur hoarse screaming for simple but effective melodies (and yes, screaming!)," resulting in "an irresistible combination," the Japanese punk rockers of TsuShiMaMiRe return to Davenport's Raccoon Motel on June 6, the female trio famed for mixing pop instrumental sounds with idiosyncratic, quirky, and oftentimes funny and disturbing lyrics.
Over the course of two-hours-plus, “cute” will only get you so far. But it's astounding how far it gets us in Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, which might've been an easy franchise low point if not for the diminutive cuddlebug of the title.
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, May 28: Discussion of Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, I Love Boosters, and Passenger, and previews of Backrooms, Pressure, and The Breadwinner, the latter a Mr. Mom for 2026. The mind boggles.
There are so many smart, promising ideas floating around in the comedic horror of Obsession that it almost doesn't matter that few of them feel properly explored, and that writer/director/editor Curry Barker doesn't seem to have entirely figured out either his principal characters or his film's overall tone.
Launched in 2023 by the Azubuike African American Council for the Arts and taking place in various area locales June 4 through 7, the fourth-annual Pulling Focus African American Film Festival of the Quad Cities will again bring together filmmakers, artists, educators, and audiences for independent film screenings, filmmaker conversations, cultural dialogue, and community celebration throughout the Quad Cities region.
With the eagerly anticipated weekend event hosted by Rock Island's Quad City Arts and taking place for the 10th time, glorious colors and imaginative designs will be gracing the pavement of Rock Island's Schwiebert Riverfront Park in the Quad Cities Chalk Art Fest, a May 30 and 31 pre-summertime fixture boasting free admission, beautiful artistic creations, live music, children's activities, food and drink vendors, and more than $2,000 in cash prizes.
Four Chicago-based artists will present concurrent solo exhibitions across the galleries of Dubuque's Voices Studios from June 5 through July 31, with the collective Quiet Intersections exhibit a multi-faceted experience that reveals how individual artistic voices can converge, diverge, and share creative space.
Bringing together contemporary artists responding to the themes and aesthetics explored in the Davenport venue's concurrent exhibition The Golden Age: Featuring Northern European Works from the National Gallery of Art, the Figge Art Museum's A Golden Age for Whom? will be on display June 6 through September 20, the two exhibitions' adjoining galleries allowing visitors to move directly between historic works and contemporary responses.
A trio of gifted Midwest photographers, one of them based in the Quad Cities, will have their latest works featured at Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center through June 19, with the Huang, Jackson, & Terry exhibition showcasing the talents of the Peoria-based Qingjun Huang and Natalie Jackson, as well as those of Davenport's Matthew Terry.
For the Davenport's final new exhibition of 2025, the Figge Art Museum will be taking an up-close-and-personal look at some of its most arresting in-house works in A Surreal Lens: Photography from the Figge Collection, a celebration of the medium on display in the Lewis Gallery hrough June 21.
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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