A delicious stage treat praised by Broadway World as "goofy, loud, and imaginative - superlatively so," the one-act musical comedy Willy Wonka Jr. will enjoy August 5 and 6 performances at Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center as the 10th performance by summer students in the venue's theatre camp, previous entertainments having included the Jr. versions of the musicals Annie, Seussical, Honk, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty & the Beast, and Moana.

From August 10 through 12, an eagerly awaited summertime tradition returns both on and in between the LeClaire and Port Byron Levees, as the 2023 Great River Tug Fest delivers outdoor family fun with carnival attractions, live music, arts and crafts vendors, fireworks displays, and the hotly anticipated tug-of-war over the Mississippi River.

Being the daughter of an international yo-yo champion and a professional foosball player made for a humor-filled life at a young age, and now, comedian Kelsey Cook brings her national tour to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room, her August 4 stand-up set landing mere months after the debut of her comedy-special smash The Hustler.

Presented in conjunction with the venue's current exhibition The Life & Art of Charles M. Schulz, the box-office smash The Peanuts Movie will enjoy a special August 10 screening in the Figge Art Museum's John Deere Auditorium, the film lauded by Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus as "a colorful gateway into the world of its classic characters and a sweetly nostalgic ... treat for the adults who grew up with them."

Through September 30, Dubuque's Voices Studios is pleased to present two solo exhibitions that entice the viewer to drawn on their experiences, ideals, memories, and glimpses from the past through Imagination, featuring the abstractions of Amy Carani, and Mural Microcosms, a collection of photographic works by Becky Sisco.

A five-time Grammy nominee whose accolades also include two Academy of Country Music Awards, a CMT Music Awards, and even a Teen Choice Award from seven nominations, singer/songwriter Sam Hunt, on August 1, serves as the opening headliner for this year's Mississippi Valley Fair's grandstand acts, the artist's chart-topping hits including "Leave the Night On," "Take Your Time," "House Party," and "Body Like a Back Road."

Boasting two top-10 albums on Billboard's U.S. Country chart in 2018's Home State and this past February's Bluebird Days, singer/songwriter Jordan Davis, on August 2, serves as the second grandstand act in the 2023 Mississippi Valley Fair, the artist's chart-topping U.S. Country Airplay smashes including "Singles You Up," "What My World Spins Around," and, with Luke Kirby, 2021's "Buy Dirt."

Two chart-topping, Grammy-winning, multi-platinum-selling icons of hip-hop and rap share a co-headlining showcase as grandstand performers at the 2023 Mississippi Valley Fair, their August 3 concert event boasting performances by Ludacris, well-known as a mainstay in the popular Fast & the Furious screen franchise, and Lil John, a music legend since his status as frontman of Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz.

An eagerly awaited weekend of live performances returning to the Quad Cities for the 52nd time, the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival will, from August 3 through 5, again enjoy residency at the Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, with the Davenport venue hosting performances by a half-dozen local and national jazz acts -- Andy Schumm’s Chicago Cellar Boys, Banu Gibson & Hot Jazz, Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jass Band, Hal Smith’s New Orleans Night Owls, TJ Muller & the Arcadia Dance Orchestra, and Josh Duffee’s Graystone Monarchs -- with guest sets by Jeff Barnhart and Matt Tolentino.

Prior to the official opening of the 2023 Mississippi Valley Fair, a gifted and acclaimed pair of county artists will headline a special pre-fair concert at Davenport's Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on July 31, with the site hosting the talents of Austin Snell, whose debut release "Excuse The Mess" amassed more than one million streams in its first week, and Tyler Farr, whose "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" landed the top spot on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.

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