Before the Rock Island Public Library became a literally public library, there was a subscription library that started in 1855. And on November 29 at the downtown branch, the informative and engaging program A Library Is Born: RIPL the Prequel will take participants back to the very beginning, detailing the process that led to the building's 1872 opening as Illinois' first truly public library.

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 25, with 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.

On November 27, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts invites audiences to celebrate the holiday season in style by attending Christmas with Jim McDonough & His Orchestra: The 20th Anniversary Tour, a dazzling stage production featuring International Steinway Artist and Iowa native McDonough alongside his 14-piece professional orchestra, performing spectacular arrangements of favorite Christmas music and other all-time hits.

On November 27, Adler Theatre audiences are invited to spend a holiday evening with music icons Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvin Presley when the Davenport venue hosts the national tour of Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, a yuletide-themed sequel to the Tony-winning Broadway smash Million Dollar Quartet boasting seasonal perennials such as “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Run Run Rudolph” alongside classics including “Don't Be Cruel” and “Ring of Fire.”

Lauded by the Chicago Tribune as “hilarious and heartwarming” and praised for its “bright comic zest” and “swinging music” by the New York Times, the stage adaptation Elf: The Musical – based on the 2003 screen comedy starring Will Ferrell – enjoys a November 30 through December 4 run at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium, this Quad City Music Guild season-ender treating patrons to a holiday tale that Broadway World called an “upbeat, oddball, and tuneful concoction.”

Santa Claus will soon be coming to town, but in the meantime, he's coming to Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse in the theatre's November 25 through December 18 run of the family adventure Santa Claus: The Musical, a delightful, hour-long entertainment that Theatre Jones described as "a toe-tapping, joyous musical extravaganza."

Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and named by New York Times reviewers in 2018 as the third-greatest American play of the past quarter century, playwright Annie Baker's The Flick enjoys its area debut at Iowa City's Riverside Theatre from November 18 through December 11, the Pulitzer committee labeling the work a "thoughtful drama with well-crafted characters ... rendering lives rarely seen on the stage."

A must-see yuletide event designed to usher in the magic of the season, the touring sensation Cirque Musica: Holiday Wonderland makes a stop at Davenport's Adler Theatre on November 26, this jaw-dropping showcase for gifted acrobats an all-new musical journey that will transport audiences to a magical land far away, resulting in a fun-filled, unforgettable seasonal experience.

A popular entertainer and 2005 graduate of Rock Island High School returns to Davenport's Grape Life Wine Store & Lounge on November 25 in support of his new album The Song Is You, with Matt Barber performing an intoxicating repertoire of jazz, pop, '50s-'70s classics, and seasonal favorites alongside musicians Dick Watson on piano, Dale Newlin on drums, and Mike VanSpeybroeck on saxophone.

Davenport's Redstone Room at Common Cord will be rocking its way into the long Thanksgiving weekend on November 23 when the venue hosts a special night with area talents both seasoned and up-and-coming: the popular AC/DC tribute musicians of Electric Shock, and the joy-filled student musicians of the QC Rock Academy.

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