In the latest exhibition at Davenport's German American Heritage Center, guests are invited to explore how German immigrant traditions transformed local musical life through Play On! German Immigrants & the Quad Cities' Musical Legacy, this showcase of ingenuity celebrating the enduring organizations, venues, and rich riverfront behind area-wide music culture.
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.
Delivering their first stage offering of the year, as well as the professional dance company's first Family Day at the Ballet for 2026, the talents of Rock Island's Ballet Quad Cities will present a special, free performance at Moline's Black Box Theatre on January 24, Dorothy Goes to Oz a delightful, half-hour tale of friendship and teamwork adapted by L. Frank Baum's storybook classic.
An award-winning hypnotist and mentalist who has become one of the most sought-after entertainers in United States, Brian Ambus brings Miracles of the Mind to Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center on January 24, inviting crowds to marvel as Imbus astounds with uncanny abilities to influence thoughts, predict the future, and create an unforgettable journey into the mysteries of the human psyche.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
Currently touring in support of her forthcoming, highly anticipated new album that promises to deliver the fierce energy and signature guitar work fans around the world have come to love, rock icon Lita Ford plays Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on January 23, the artist famed as the lead guitarist for The Runaways who consequently embarked on a successful glam-metal solo career.
Hailed by IndiePulse Music Magazine for a repertoire that's "hard-hitting while remaining airy and light on its musical feet," the Iowa-born and Nashville-based Xolex (pronounced "X O Lex") headlines a January 23 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Iowa PBS stating that the artist "mixes pop sensibilities, soulful lyrics, and a bit of rock 'n roll behind songs that pull from personal experience to explore universal themes."
Touring in support of their most recent album Thank You Brother Bill: A Tribute to Bill Withers, the blues and soul artists of Kevin Burt & Big Medicine play a special free concert at Rock Island's RIBCO on January 24, this acclaimed recording praised by Rock & Blues Muse as a work that “hits the highest marks on all counts – phrasing, soulful delivery, musical accompaniment, and genuine conviction.”
Touring in support of their 2025 Richmond's Most Wanted that Holler Country insisted "isn’t a one-and-done listening experience" given that "each listen explores something new and beautiful in their finely crafted music," the talents of The Jack Wharff Band headline a January 24 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Holler County adding that last summer's recording "is probably one of the best debut EPs to be released in a long while, and we know how steep the competition is in country music right now."
Their shows composed of hits and deep cuts sure to have fans leaping out of their seats and singing along, the tribute musicians of Steely Dane headline a January 24 concert event at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, the group playing in the same configuration as the Steely Dan touring band, and their sets including a four-piece horn section, two guitars, two keyboards, and female background singers.
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.
Works by a gifted area artist and educator will, through February 20, be on display in the Morrisey Gallery of Davenport's St. Ambrose University, the exhibition 50 Years and Counting: Paintings by Brad Bisbey showcasing the talents of the 1976 St. Ambrose graduate who is a signature member of the National Society of Painters and teaches acrylic painting at Davenport's Figge Art Museum.
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.
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.
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.
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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