Praised by ChicagoNow for his “warm, engaging stage presence and inventive, impeccable joke writing,” touring comedian Michael Palascak brings his standup set to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room on May 26, the noted funnyman having performed at nearly 200 colleges and universities (including Davenport's St. Ambrose) over the years, as well as on talk shows including The Late Show with David Letterman, Kevin Hart's LOL Lounge, and Conan.

Praised by the Bangor News as “a smashing hit” and “a rib-tickler if ever I saw one,” the farcical comedy Here Lie Jeremy Troy enjoys a June 2 through 12 run at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, its playwright Jack Sharkey also the author of such recent venue hits as Missing Link, I Take This Man, and 100 Lunches: A Gourmet Comedy.

Praised by Variety magazine for its “charming score that suits the quirky material” and Time Out NY for its “expertly constructed and emotionally satisfying tale of self-liberation in the face of limited options,” the Broadway sensation Waitress brings its national tour to Davenport's Adler Theatre on June 1, serving up an evening of comedy, drama, romance, and Sara Bareilles compositions that made NBC New York rave, “It's easy as pie to fall for Waitress.”

Damned if I didn't grin and giggle at Family Camp from the very start, and damned if I didn't get misty-eyed on a couple of occasions – though given the film's leanings, I should probably be saying “darned." I'll try to remember that if, or more hopefully when, we get a sequel.

Arresting works by a trio of Midwestern artists will be on display at the Quad City Arts Center through June 24, with the Rock Island venue currently showcasing a wide variety of artistic mediums: encaustics by Cindy Lesperance of Oakwood Hills, Illinois; clay sculpture by Elizabeth Shriver of West Branch, Iowa; and hand-painted textiles by Rachel Davis of Downers Grove, Illinois.

Composed of Dave “Dixie” Collins, Dave “Shep” Shepherd, and Ramzi Ateyeh – the former two having co-founded the group nearly a quarter-century ago – the fired-up sludge-metal musicians of Weedeater headline a May 21 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the group's most recent album Goliathan described by Angry Metal Guy as “an intoxicating examination of Southern culture and arguably the most tongue-in-cheek approximation of their sludgy, stoner sound thus far delivered.”

Continuing the Redstone Room's concert-event programming under the "All Sweat Original Series" banner, in which local songwriters are paired up alongside outstanding area musicians to act as their own personal backing band, the Davenport venue will host three sensational headliners in its May 19 presentation: Karl Beatty, Angela Meyer, and Michael Moncada.

The iconic artist behind chart-topping albums Tapestry, Music, and Wrap Around Joy will be celebrated at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room on May 20 when the venue hosts vocalist Adrianne Hall's A Tribute to Carole King – an hour of music featuring songs made famous by the legend behind “It's Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” “Jazzman,” “Nightingale,” and other timeless hits.

While most of the presentations in the Davenport Public Library's monthly 3rd Thursday at Hoover's Presidential Library & Museum series have focused on former president Herbert Hoover, the series will take an overdue look at the extraordinary contributions of his wife when speaker Annette B. Dunlap, on May 19, delivers her fascinating virtual program A Woman of Adventure: The Life & Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover.