On January 24 and 25, the Vibrant Arena at the MARK will host feats of staggering skill when the touring Professional Championship Bull Riders & Barrel Racers show returns to Moline, its national success based on a simple concept: Place one determined cowboy on the back of a cranky 2,000-pound bull and see whether he can stay on the gigantic, bucking beast for eight long seconds – and do it with only one hand gripping the animal’s backside.

Held in conjunction with the Davenport venue's new exhibition Play On! German Immigrants and the Quad Cities' Musical Legacy, the German American Heritage Center presents the fascinating program Blues in the Quad Cities: A True American Artistic Creation on January 25.

Always an eagerly awaited series at the Figge Art Museum, the latest incarnation of Young Artists at the Figge will be on display from through May 24, with the Davenport venue celebrating the accomplishments of budding creative talents whose works will be showcased in a continuing series of individual exhibitions.

With the latest stage presentation by Barely There Theatre a trio of brand-new one-act plays making their world premieres in the Quad Cities, playwright, producer, and Reader theatre reviewer's What Might Have Been runs at Moline's Black Box Theatre January 29 through February 7, the production boasting stories that explore the roads not taken, as well as the choices, chances, and curiosities that shape our lives.

Lauded by Screen Zealots as "a cinematic wake-up call" and by Beyond the Cinemadome as "investigative documentary journalism at its finest and most urgent," Out of Plain Sight serves as the second presentation in 2026 QC Environmental Film Series hosted by River Action.

Governor JB Pritzker set off a chain reaction last November when he told reporters he’d be open to changes in the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail and replaced it with a new pre-trial release/retention system, among other things. Governor Pritzker was asked about the case of a woman, Bethany MaGee, who was horrifically set ablaze while riding on a Chicago commuter train.

For 2025's year-in-music survey, we winnowed contributions down to two lists of top fives – the top five album releases and top five singles (which weren't necessarily on any of the top five albums).

The first indication that I was in serious trouble came when the second defense attorney I contacted in Washington, DC, informed me that the Constitution—the supreme law of the land in the United States – did not apply in our nation’s capital. The first attorney who told me that was just wrong, I thought. But when the second guy told me the same thing,

With the Chicago Blues Guide deeming them “excellent” and Emmy-nominated actor Hugh Laurie upping the praise by calling them “bloody excellent,” the blues artists of Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys featuring Westside Andy return to Davenport's Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill on January 18 in a concert co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society, the artists noted for albums include Slow Burn, Shake Your Boogie, and Live! At the Bug Bull.