Presented as the official back-to-school pick in the venue's Garden Cinema series, the 1982 cult classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High enjoys an August 15 showing at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox, the film praised by Richard Roepner as a work that "continues to resonate as a substantial time capsule of the period," and that stands as "the best ribald teen comedy ever made."

Alison Brie's and Dave Franco's arguably inappropriate chemistry might make this supremely clever, enjoyably gross body-horror comedy stronger than it would've been without them, because even when their characters are at their lowest communal ebb, you sense that these two will always fundamentally stick with one another. And stick with one another they do. They very much do.

The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre closes out its 2025 season with a gorgeously sung tribute in director Amy Fritsche's Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver. What this revue by Harold Thau (who's credited for its “original concept”) is lacking in heart is more than made up by the live music played by the onstage actors, all of whom make Denver’s music ring.

With the program offered as part of the Davenport venue's popular "Kaffee und Kuchen" series, Iowa City-based artists, collectors, and educators David and Sarojini Johnson engage in an August 10 gallery talk on their current German American Heritage Center exhibit, the couple having spent decades sharing and practicing the art of printmaking, each with their own unique vision and inspiration.

Run by Quad City Arts and open to youth ages 15 to 21, Metro Arts is a paid, five-week summer apprenticeship in which participants work side by side with professional artists on real, public-facing projects. From murals and mosaics to poetry, live performances, and digital storytelling, apprentices shape and improve the creative landscape of the Quad Cities while gaining invaluable professional experience.

A five-time Grammy Award winner who was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned the Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance, blues-rock legend Robert Cray brings his band's national tour to Davenport's Capitol Theatre on August 9, the artist's ensemble having previously shared stages with the iconic likes of Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, and Eric Clapton.

With her most recent recording Modern Age hailed by Glide magazine as "a deeply nostalgic, sometimes melancholy, but ultimately charmingly sweet album," Nashville-based singer/songwriter Jill Andrews headlines an August 8 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the artist's 2023 release also inspiring Americana Highways to rave, "All of it makes us smile, tear up, and think of days gone by, all at once."

On August 14, the chart-topping, Grammy-winning rockers of the Eagles will be celebrated when Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse hosts the return of 7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Tribute, an evening of beloved, iconic hits sure to include such chart-toppers as "Best of My Love," "One of These Nights," "Heartache Tonight," and "Hotel California."

Taking place in three cities, two states, and more than 40 area locales, the popular summertime traveling festival Alternating Currents returns to Davenport, Bettendorf, and Rock Island from August 14 through 17 – a Quad Cities celebration of music, film, comedy, and the arts boasting more than 200 music performances, comedy sets, film screenings, local art displays, and family activities.