A hotly anticipated summertime festival returns to the District of Rock Island on June 8, as this year's celebration of Cajun culture Gumbo Ya Ya treats guests to a veritable Mardi Gras complete with a quartet of electrifying concerts, a French Quarter Marketplace, Cajun cooking, street performers, and, as always, more than 20,000 strands of Mardi Gras beads.

A Noël Coward masterpiece boasting period elegance, touching romance, loads of laughs, and more than a hint of the supernatural graces Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre stage May 31 through June 9, as the British classic Blithe Spirit treats audiences to one of the most popular comedies of 20th Century world theatre, as well as the show whose most recent Broadway version won co-star Angela Lansbury her fifth Tony Award.

Boasting images from the Windy City both familiar and unfamiliar, and with the sites' natural hues exploding with vibrantly painted colors, Chromatic Chicago will be on display at Bettendorf's Beréskin Gallery & Art Academy, from May 31 through June 28, the new exhibition demonstrating the significant talents of Galesburg-based artist Carla Markwart.

A television and film star whose credits include Heroes, Veronica Mars, and 10 Things I Hate About You makes a special appearance at the Davenport Public Library's Fairmount Street branch on May 30, when actress, author, and Davenport North High School alumna Dana Davis reads from, discusses, and signs copies of her most recent novel The Voice in My Head, scheduled for release on May 28.