Appearing in a special “Evenings at Butterworth” event, archivist, writer, and speaker Neil Dahlstrom will deliver a October 22 program at Moline's Butterworth center, the presenter and Quad Cities native's books including Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester, and The Birth of Modern Agriculture.
Chatting with Ballet Quad Cities' artistic director Courtney Lyon about the professional dance company's The Scarlet Letter, a world-premiere adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's famed 1850 novel, I'm catching the choreographer early in the rehearsal process. How early? I wind up learning who'll be dancing the ballet's principal roles before the dancers do.
A regular at the world-famous Comedy Cellar in New York City admired for his playful personality, clever wit, and refreshingly PG-13 material, comedian Keith Alberstadt enjoys a two-night engagement at Rock Island's Bally's Quad Cities, the Aspen Laff Festival's executive director Gram Slaton praising the standup as "a genius" who performs "the toughest kind of humor to consistently pull off."
On October 24, Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center will host the eagerly awaited 2026 Quad Cities Archives Fair, allowing the public to experience Quad Cities history by visiting with regional cultural and historical organizations, learning about unique collections and services, listening to talks on historical topics, and discovering some of the area's hidden gems.
With the event taking place in a new location for 2026, the Dr. Brent Ohl Strong Pancreatic Cancer Support and Awareness Organization hosts its annual tailgate event at Davenport's Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on October 24.
The Legislative Ethics Commission chair said last week that the commission will meet soon and discuss whether to recommend changes to state ethics laws during the upcoming veto session, which begins in about a month. But the chair of the bipartisan commission, Representative Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, told us he was against taking any action before a new General Assembly’s swearing-in in January.
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.
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.
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.
My frustration with the looming 2026 midterm election is that so few candidates, whether incumbents or challengers, deserve my vote. Most incumbent career politicians stopped representing voting constituencies long ago. Newbie challengers hit the ground running in place, relegated to the fringe and saddled with newbie duties, such as marathon fund raising for their respective parties – duties deliberately designed to distract away from the serious business occurring elsewhere.
If Halloween is approaching, it must be time for that theatrical command: “Let's do the 'Time Warp' again!” Consequently, the Circa '21 Speakeasy will stage its 11th-anniversary presentation of the cult-musical smash The Rocky Horror Show October 23 through 31, treating audiences to live performances of classic songs in this nutty, interactive experience that has been delighting show regulars and virgins alike for more than half a century.
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."
Are you looking for love? For marriage? Or just trying to get past your partner’s daily idiosyncrasies? You may well love I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, whether you attend solo or with a date.
A stage work that, according to the New York Times, "has the ruefulness of a collection of John Cheever stories," A.R. Gurney's critically lauded The Dining Room serves as the first production of Augustana College's 2026-27 season, college senior Christian Haywood's production running in the Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre October 29 through November 1.
One of the millennium's biggest animated-film hits enjoys a raucous, colorful, and tuneful stage presentation when Young Footliters Youth Theatre presents Madagascar: A Musical Adventure Jr. at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, a delightful family treat, running October 30 through November 1, reuniting audiences with Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip-hip-Hippo, and all of their other Dreamworks favorites.
A comedian, actor, writer, and musician whose diverse accomplishments include a chart-topping comedy album, writing credits on TV's Archer and The Late Late Show with James Corden, and acting roles on Arrested Development, New Girl, and Drunk History, creator Ben Hoffman's stage alter ego Wheeler Walker Jr. brings "Pullin' Out: The Farewell Tour '26” to Davenport's Capitol Theatre on October 21.
With ChicagoBlues.live raving that "his playing stands apart as a uniquely creative force of its own," Brother John Kattke performs a special October 21 concert at Rock Island's Hauberg Civic Center Mansion, the exhilarating show co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.
Touring in support of his summertime release Isle of Hope, which No Depression praised for its songs that "hit with an emotional resonance that transports listeners through shadows into light," singer/songwriter and guitarist Duane Betts and his band Palmetto Motel headline an October 21 concert at Davenport's Redstone Room at Common Chord.
Subatlantic is playing the new downstairs Redstone Room at Davenport's Common Chord on Thursday, October 22. Drummer Phil Pracht was obliging enough to offer some thoughts on the venue and the other musicians on the bill.
With the concert event celebrating the internationally beloved musician who passed away this past August 25, the touring spectacular The Dolly Show comes to Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre on October 22, the stage treat paying tribute to the nearly 60-year career of Parton, whose extensive list of credits includes the release of 49 studio albums and more than 3,000 songs.
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.
As someone who instinctively loves it when Gen X and post-Gen X viewers see their cherished childhood fetish objects re-created as things deservedly ripe for good-natured laughs at the expense of alpha bros, I had way more fun than I expected at Street Fighter.
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 15: Discussion of Other Mommy, The Social Reckoning, and Angel & the Badman, and previews of (deep breath) Street Fighter, Whalefall, Sense & Sensibility, Musk, You Can See Everything, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, You Can't Leave, Crawlers, and Trust Me, I'm a Doctor. Mike's gonna try to get to at least six of 'em. While cursing Hollywood's mid-October release strategy.
I may have been disappointed in Other Mommy, but it's hardly an ignoble failure, and it was kind of thrilling to see several genre norms smartly upturned before the picture was a half-hour old.
Now playing at area theaters.
With the event held in conjunction with the Rock Island venue's current exhibition The Monster Under My Bed, Quad City Arts will host A Conversation on Mental Wellness at the Arts on October 26.
With the showcased photographs captured by class-of-2025 alumna Hannah Bauch, patrons of the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Aet Gallery are invited to explore the multifaceted identities of student athletes, and the many layers that exist beyond their roles in competition, in the exhibition Beyond the Game: A UD Athletic Homecoming, on display through October 30.
With the event presented in partnership with Lulac Council 10 and Hola America, Hola Iowa, Davenport's Figge Art Museum will house a delightful Día de Los Muertos celebration in the November 1 Day of the Dead Family Fiesta, an afternoon-long tribute honoring the memories of passed loved ones through music, dance, food, and community.
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.
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.
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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