House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch promised the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) last week that he will “lead” the effort to send more state money to Chicago Public Schools during the upcoming fall veto session.

Boasting thrilling auctions, a bustling swap meet, and an atmosphere steeped in Americana charm, the Rust Belt Americana Antique Swap & Auction takes place at East Moline's Bend XPO from August 6 through 8, the event hosted hy Rob Wolfe of American Pickers fame, and promising rare items and unforgettable moments on the beautiful bank of the Mississippi River.

Rod had invited us to hang out with his co-founder Matt Friesz and each of their sons who had joined the [Burnt McMelba] Toast band this year to hear them rehearse for two gigs in August. He wanted us to learn more about how Toast was not having a reunion. The band was having a revival with second-generation blood and new variations on past themes.

Based on the Oscar-winning modern classic that stands as one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, Disney's Frozen enjoys an August 7 through 16 run at Moline's Spotlight Theatre, this magical family enchantment a three-time Tony Award nominee hailed by The Guardian for its "theatrical razzmatazz" and "the sense of a real, beating heart in the relationship between the two tortured sisters."

Hailed by The Guardian as "an incredibly fun, energetic performance" that "remixes some of your favorite moments from the show with a new and touching story," the stage version of a children's-TV sensation hits Davenport's Adler Theatre on August 11 and 12 in Bluey's Big Play, a blend of live actors and puppetry that, The Guardian continued, "doesn’t shy away from sharing honest truths while celebrating imaginative play."

A three-time Tony Award nominee that the New York Times said "sings sincerely and with a rough-edged humor of the dusty margins of American life," Hands on a Hardbody makes its area debut with an August 7 through 16 run at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, the high-energy show with a book by Pulitzer Prize and Tony winner Doug Wright also hailed by New York Magazine as "musical theatre heaven."

With the artists blending their chart-topping, pop-rock talents for the August 8 grandstand show at the Mississippi Valley Fair, the fair's Saturday night will boast performances by Goo Goo Dolls, whose "Iris" spent 11 consecutive months on the Billboard Hot 100, and Neon Trees, whose first single "Animal" climbed to number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Alternative Songs chart.

Touring in support of their most recent album Distroid that, according to Rock the Body Electric, "touches on everything from prog to country to reggae as the band stretches out and flows," the genre-bending musicians of Dogs in a Pile headline an August 12 concert at Davenport's Redstone Room at Common Chord, the group's output also hailed by Go-Set.net as "fun and jovial, hot and sexy, funky and weird, contemplative and dreamy."

With Distorted Sound Magazine praising their 2022 album See Where the Night Goes as "very groovy, jammy, and a lot of the songs dive deep into improving and loving yourself," the roots and blues rockers of Goodbye June headline an August 8 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the group's 2024 release Deep in the Trouble also praised by HeadBangers Lifestyle as "a jumpy and entertaining affair, where deep emotions and good old hard rocking go hand in hand."