With the event held in advance of the forthcoming German Expressionist Film Series at Davenport venue The Last Picture House, the German American Heritage Center's August 28 presentation The Cinema of Weimar Germany will find Bruce Walters offering fascinating insight into one of film history's most notable periods, its distinctive style characterized by stark contrasts, dramatic shadows, and fantastical sets that conveyed the emotional and psychological turmoil of post-World War I Germany.

A hilarious and affecting stage presentation in Galesburg's Summer FUN-Raising Series, comedian and radio personality Greg Batton's one-man show Life. In Boxes. enjoys an August 24 presentation at the Orpheum Theatre, the show's star offering an invitation to view some of the memories and moments that have helped define his life – and maybe experiences that will reflect yours, as well.

Held in conjunction with the exhibit showcasing the magnificent art and artists within the vast collection of the Do Good Fund, a Last Chance Tour Night for Reckonings & Reconstructions: Southern Photography from the Do Good Fund will be held at Davenport's Figge Art Museum on August 29. The exhibition is currently on display thanks to supporting sponsor The Brian Pasierb Family Foundation, contributing sponsor Carolyn Levine & Leonard Kallio Trust, and media sponsor KLJB FOX 18.

Featuring the virtuosic talents of Rob Miller on clarinet, Kian Hyatt on bassoon, and Andrzej Kozlowski on piano, the musicians' outfit Trio Animato will perform a special event in the recently renovated concert hall of Moline's Sound Conservatory, their August 24 The Mendelssohn Project allowing listeners to enjoy a mesmerizing journey into the heart of classical music and the timeless compositions of composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Their 2023 album Ofrenda hailed by The Alternate Root as "a masterclass in gothic country-rock (think Patti Smith fronting Murder by Death)," the Portland, Oregon ensemble Roselit Bone headlines an August 25 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Americana Highways adding that the group's fourth studio LP "melds together elements of country, rockabilly, jazz, and alternative music to create a distinctive and original collection of atmospheric songs that audibly mesmerize as they draw you in."

An iconic country artist will be saluted by an award-winning vocalist on August 29 when Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse hosts two performances of the concert event Karen as Dolly: Dolly Parton Tribute, with Karen Hester returning to the theatre to present the look, sound, and spirit of one of the most successful, and certainly most beloved, personalities in modern American history.

Touring in support of their latest recording Dovetail, in which the group brings a full spectrum of modern Americana to life with lush arrangements of four-part vocal harmonies, the Midwestern musicians of The Last Revel headline an August 24 concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, the ensemble lauded by Rift magazine as "a force to be reckoned with" for their "soaring vocal performance and powerfully stirring lyrics.”

It Ends with Us isn't necessarily great. It is, however, a crowd-pleaser that's strong and sincere and unexpectedly touching … and unlike the film Blake Lively's husband is currently starring in, at least it makes a modicum of sense.

An eagerly awaited day of outdoor fun culminating in an attempt to break a pair of Guinness World Records is set for August 17, when River Action hosts the 15th-annual celebration of paddle sports Floatzilla, with participants and spectators gathering at Rock Island's Sunset Park to see if the Quad Cities can boast the world's “Largest Raft of Canoes and Kayaks” and “Largest Simultaneous Kayak Launch.”