On May11, children of all ages are invited to explore what makes music – including sounds, rhythms, and instruments – in the touring sensation Blippi: Join the Band, allowing kids to shake their wiggles out and OJ Twist their way through a brand-new stage adventure featuring Blippi, Meekah, their singing and dancing buddies, and live musicians.
An eagerly awaited springtime touring event rides, jumps, and spins into the Vibrant Arena at the MARK on May 10 and 11 as the Moline venue hosts Monster Jam 2025, the amphitheater event that brings a new level of high-flying, four-wheel excitement to the entire family with racing, two-wheel skills, donuts, and freestyle competitions.
The recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship who, in 2016, was also named one of Politico's “50 people across the country who are most influencing the national political debate," a Pulitzer Prize winner engages in virtual conversation with a Chicago-based journalist in Poverty – A Discussion with Matthew Desmond, the May 13 event with Desmond and Natalie Moore presented by Illinois Libraries Present and the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries.
Presented as part of the Davenport venue's popular “Kaffee und Kuchen” series, the German American Center's May 18 program A Great Treasure in Rock Island: The Hauberg Estate will explore how, in 1956, the family of Denkmann-Weyerhauser lumber company heiress Susanne Denkmann and her husband John Hauberg gifted their home to the City of Rock Island, with presenter Annette LeZotte offering insight into the past, present, and future of this magnificent Quad Cities civic center.
His career trajectory having taken him from being a public school teacher to a national touring comedian, Lucas Bohn shares his journey of following his dreams in the midst of life’s many curve balls in Lesson Plans to Late Night. a special May 22 event at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse boasting a plethora of jokes from students and ruminations on the joys of mid-life adoption while performing comedy across America.
During a rip-roaring speech in New Hampshire last week, Governor JB Pritzker called for mass national protests and “disruption,” assailed “do-nothing” Democrats for their “simpering timidity,” and labeled President Donald Trump a “madman” who cannot be reasoned with. The Jewish Ukrainian-American governor said of Trump: “Stop tearing down the Constitution in the name of my ancestors. Do not claim that your authoritarian power-grabs are about anti-Semitism. When you destroy social justice, you are disparaging the very foundation of Judaism.”
Jason Tanamor will help celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May with a new, Filipino-inspired shoe that pays respect to the Philippines flag. He designed the Italian-made shoe, the JT I, produced by Alive Shoes, which also aims to expand the underrepresented market of the Philippines.
As you likely know by now, a federal jury deadlocked last week on all three corruption charges against Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago). U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood declared a mistrial after polling individual jurors and arriving at the conclusion that they could not possibly reach a verdict.
Governor JB Pritzker said last week that the extreme uncertainty with the U.S. government and the international economy might mean that the legislature may have to reconvene to reconfigure the state budget after it adjourns at the end of next month.
You’ve probably read about the Republican Party implosion last week in suburban municipal and township campaigns, particularly in DuPage County.
The final production of Augustana College's 2024-25 season is David Auburn's Proof, directed by Jennifer Popple, the college's assistant professor of theatre arts, and this professional-caliber production both impressed and moved me. It's sometimes disturbing, sometimes funny, and although heartbreaking, still left me hopeful.
To my joy, Girls' Weekend, now making its area debut at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre, is delightful. I laughed more than I have in a year of theatre.
Based on an unfinished Charles Dickens novel and the winner of five 1985 Tony Awards including Best Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood enjoys a City Circle Theatre Company presentation at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts May 2 through 11, the critically lauded smash famed for being the first Broadway musical to be presented with multiple endings, the finales for each performance determined by audience vote.
One of few musicals in history to win Tonys, a Grammy, and the Academy Award for Best Picture, the legendary Chicago makes its long-awaited debut at Rock island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse with its May 7 through July 5 run, this second-longest-running show in Broadway history a smash with both audiences and critics, the New York Times stating, "It has theatrical muscle, the characters are vivid, and its issues are ongoing in our public discourse."
A special presentation by the Genesius Theatre Guild of the Quad Cities in preparation for its summer season at Rock Island's Lincoln Park, the Shakespearean celebration Songs & Sweet Airs will enjoy a live presentation at the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch on May 13, this reader's-theatre performance a supercut of some of the Bard's greatest writing that boasts scenes and monologues from many of his plays.
Taking place on the night before Alice Cooper's triumphant return to Moline's Vibrant Arena at the MARK, four of the rock legends' bandmates will play a special May 12 concert event at the city's venue Rascals Live, with the super-group The Good Squad boasting the hard-driving talents of Chuck Garric, Ryan Roxie, Glen Sobel, and Tommy Henriksen.
With gifted vocalist and ensemble leader Donovan Tea currently celebrating his astonishing 41st year with the group, the beloved pop vocalists of the Lettermen make their long-awaited return to the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse on May 12, their ever-popular springtime engagements overflowing with timeless hits such as “When I Fall in Love,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “Hurt So Bad,” and “Shangri-La.”
On May 13, the artist whom The Rolling Stone Album Guide calls “the world's most beloved heavy-metal entertainer” makes a special appearance at Moline's Vibrant Arena at the MARK with the Quad Cities return of Alice Cooper, whose 2023 recording Road was hailed by Classic Rock as "a cohesively themed album lathered in multi-tiered guitars, anthemic choruses, and high-density power riffage, tempered by road-honed dynamism and built for the stage."
An Alabama-based singer/songwriter and guitarist who is also member of Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band and Dead Fingers, folk, rock, and blues artist Taylor Hollingsworth headlines a May engagement at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the artist's 2020 album Country Visions lauded by Blackwater Collective as "a true psychedelic wanderer with a gritty glow of downhome goodness."
With his 2024 release Frank's Full Moon Saloon praised by Glide magazine as a "raw and intimate" recording that "seems to mark a new chapter" for the artist, Matthew Logan Vasquez returns to Davenport for a May 14 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the acclaimed singer/songwriter and guitarist also a member of the rock band Delta Spirit and the indie super-groups Middle Brothers and Glorietta.
Is it possible that, over the past three years, Marvel Studios has been experimenting with a release strategy designed to get audiences excited for every other MCU movie?
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 8: After a week off, the boys are back with a jam-packed segment: discussion of Thunderbolts* , Another Simple Favor, The Surfer, Rust, The Accountant 2, and Until Dawn; previews of Shadow Force, Fight or Flight, and Clown in a Cornfield; and a reveal of the summer blockbuster Darren is most eagerly anticipating. It might not be what you think. Or maybe it is.
Due to the nature of his role, Ben Affleck is never allowed to laugh here. With Jon Bernthal gleefully egging him on, though, you can sense how deeply the actor must want to. Heaven knows my audience, myself included, was laughing.
There's no point in burying the lede on this. Even though it's only April, I can't imagine seeing a more dazzling, thrilling, thunderously satisfying 2025 release than Ryan Coogler's Sinners.
An eagerly awaited springtime event taking place over Mother's Day weekend in Davenport's spacious Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, the Beaux Arts 2025 Spring Fair will treat visitors to an outdoor celebration of visual arts and fine crafts on May 10 and 11, with the annual event featuring food, live music, children's activities, and works for sale by dozens of artists and Midwestern vendors.
Exploring themes of place and time by highlighting the Earth and capturing fragments of memories in paint, fiber, and clay, a trio of Midwestern artisans enjoy a collective exhibition at Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center from May 9 through June 20, the Brown, Lennox, & Wenthe exhibit boasting Afrofuturist art by Monica Brown, quilted art by Cheryl Lennox, and ceramic sculpture by Elissa Wenthe.
You only turn 100 years old once. And while the Figge Art Museum – which originated as the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery in 1925 – is marking its centennial year in many ways, it's pulling out all the stops on Saturday, May 17, with a “Glow Up” party, celebrating a landmark $4-million lighting of its building at 225 West Second Street in Davenport.
An ideal afternoon escape for garden and flower lovers, live-music fans, art enthusiasts, families with kids, and those shopping for unique gifts, the Muscatine Art Center's For the Love of the Garden event will take place on May 17, this outdoor celebration boasting a performance by the Mad Creek Mudcats, live painting demonstrations, studio crafts, a vendor market, and more.
Always an eagerly awaited series at the Figge Art Museum, the latest incarnation of Young Artists at the Figge will be on display through May 25, with the Davenport venue celebrating the accomplishments of budding creative talents of local elementary and junior-high art students whose works will be showcased in a continuing series of individual exhibitions.
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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