Event
Race for the Cure
i wireless Center
Saturday, June 13
On June 13, the 20th-annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Quad Cities will begin at the i wireless Center in Moline. Every year, Race for the Cure draws nearly 8,000 men, women, and children from around the Quad Cities in support of breast-cancer research. The 5K run/walk winds through downtown Moline, looking like a pink tidal wave made up of breast-cancer survivors, family members, and members of the community who support the cause.
This year, ensuring that every dollar of your registration fee is used to fight breast cancer, funds that were previously spent on timing devices and technology are instead being put toward further research - so if you're concerned about a slow time, stop worrying! The pressure is off, and it's all about raising money to fight breast cancer.
Clearly, this race isn't just about running. It's about celebrating, remembering, and having fun. If you're looking to really show some spirit, you can organize a team of 10 people or more to participate together. And for those of you who are a little slow to wake up in the morning, there will be a pre-race jazzercise warm-up - but please, leave the turquoise spandex at home.
For the men out there, rest assured that this event isn't exclusively for women. Yes, there will be copious amounts of pink, but don't let that scare you off. Race for the Cure is a chance for everybody and anybody to support the fight against breast cancer.
Registration for Race for the Cure is $22 for adults and $15 for youth. For registration and more information, call (563)421-2873 or visit KomenQuadCities.com. - Emily Heninger
Event
Gumbo Ya Ya
The District of Rock Island
Friday, June 12 and Saturday, June 13
Have you always wanted to go to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras but never got around to it? Well, now's your chance to do so - and without leaving the Quad Cities. On June 12 and 13 in the District of Rock Island, you can experience the music, food, and culture of New Orleans at the 17th-annual Gumbo Ya Ya festival.
Get your taste buds ready for a wild ride of Cajun and Creole cuisine, including several varieties of gumbo and jambalaya, shrimp Creole, and alligator burgers, as well as traditional festival foods for the less adventurous.
And don't forget those dancing shoes, as this year's bands look like a foot-stomping, booty-shaking crew. With a range of musical styles that stretches from zydeco to Cajun music to New Orleans jazz and blues, the lineup includes Lil' Brian & the Travelers, the Crawdaddies, Roddie Romero & the Hub City Allstars, the Rockin' Jake Band, the Backwater Bayou Band, and Dennis Stroughmatt & Creole Stomp.
If you're looking for a souvenir - perhaps a feathered mask or two - street vendors will line the District, and be sure to bring the kids, too, for the street performers and children's events, including arts and crafts workshops that will allow you to create your own masks and accessories. With a half-ton of beads and a parade also lined up for the big event, it's sure to be a fun time for all.
Admission to Gumbo Ya Ya is $8 for a one-day pass, $12 for both days, and free for children under 12. For more information, visit GumboYaYaFestival.com. - Emily Heninger
Music
Compression @ Club Boulevard
Club Boulevard
Saturday, June 13
Ordinarily, if you wanted to spend a night dancing to the techno, house, and dubstep stylings of m50, Dreamlogicc, and Slowchildren, you'd have only one area destination in mind: the Quad City International Airport, which could set you up with a nice, direct flight to Chicago.
On June 13, however, a bit of the Chicago club scene makes its way to us, when Moline's Club Boulevard (located at 1801 10th Street) presents Compression @ Club Boulevard, the venue's first-of-its-kind evening of dance music and video art, and a showcase for a quartet of popular Chicago-based club fixtures headlining their first gigs in the Quad Cities.
Taking place from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., the event will introduce - or, depending on your familiarity with the Chi-town club scene, re-introduce - patrons to some of the most noted names from Windy City nightspots: m50, serving as DJ to the techno beats of such artists as Crystal Method and Kraftwerk; Slowchildren, playing mixes of soulful, deep house music; Dreamlogicc, delivering a live performance on drum machines and synths; and Gravitymax, accompanying the tunes with artistically re-edited video montages on LCD screens.
Hosted by local sound whiz Ben Versluis, who kicks off the party with his DJ-ing of hip-hop vocals and synth lines, Compression @ Club Boulevard will offer five hours of wildly energetic beats for the over-21 crowd. If you see me there, though, do your best not to mention that I'm a member of the over-40 crowd. I'm trying to keep my youthful rep intact.
Admission to Club Boulevard is $2 before 11 p.m. and $5 afterward, and more information on the night is available by calling the venue at (309)797-6722. - Mike Schulz
Theatre
Peter Pan
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse
Wednesday, June 17 through Saturday, August 29
On June 17, the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse will premiere its new summertime presentation: a lavish, colorful, effects-filled musical about a boy who refuses to grow up. I'm flattered that the venue is finally producing my life story on the stage, but really, an 11-week run is just too generous.
I'm kidding, of course. (Though a Circa '21 production of Mike Schulz: The Musical would kill them?) The show is actually the Tony-winning smash Peter Pan, adapted from J.M. Barrie's 1904 play, and one of American theatre's most exciting and beloved family entertainments. Directed by Jim Hesselman and starring Nashville-based Brittany Church as Peter, popular area actor Tom Walljasper as Captain Hook, and local youths Lauren Van Speybroeck, Zach Finn, and Tanner Konrardy, this classic adventure will take audiences on a trip to Neverland through magical sets, costumes, and songs - and yes, thanks to the technical wizards of the internationally-renowned ZFX Inc., you will believe that a boy (and several of his friends) can fly.
To get you in the mood for this return trip to childhood, try matching these Peter Pan characters with their descriptions - and try not to cheat by asking your kids for help.
1) Tinker Bell
2) Tiger Lily
3) Nana
4) Tootles
5) Jane
6) Smee
7) Liza
8) Slightly Soiled
A) The Darling family's maid
B) The Darling family's dog
C) Wendy Darling's daughter
D) An Indian princess
E) A conceited pirate
F) A shy pirate
G) Peter Pan's fairy sidekick
H) Captain Hook's brainless sidekick
For more information on, and tickets to, Circa '21's Peter Pan, call (309)786-7733 extension 2, or visit Circa21.com. - Mike Schulz
Answers: 1 - G, 2 - D, 3 - B, 4 - F, 5 - C, 6 - H, 7 - A, 8 - E. And if I were to be flown over the Circa '21 stage, "Slightly Soiled" would be my name, too.
Theatre
The King & I
Quad City Music Guild
Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 21
"Anna!"
"Yes, your majesty?"
" What is this I hear? You are escorting my children to an entertainment? A Western entertainment?"
"Why, yes, your majesty. The Quad City Music Guild is presenting a marvelous musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein, and I think your children will adore it."
"You are a very difficult woman!"
"Perhaps so, your majesty. But it is truly something wonderful, filled with happy tunes and young lovers and kisses in the shadows and ... ."
"And et cetera et cetera and so forth. You will say no more!"
" I will say more, your majesty! There will be gorgeous costumes and sets, and a live orchestra will perform the score, and the leading roles are being played by gifted Music Guild veterans Harold Truitt and Jen Sondgeroth ... . You, yourself, said the children and I should see it!"
"I do not remember such words."
"I remember them."
"I will do remembering! And I do not remember anything except that you are my servant!"
"Oh, no, your majesty. I am most certainly not your servant, and unless you allow us to attend The King & I, I shall be forced to return to England immediately!"
"Is called ... The King & I?"
"Yes, your majesty. It's all about a Siamese ruler who learns to love."
"Hmm. Western people funny. Is a puzzlement."
For more information and tickets to The King & I, call (309)762-6610 or visit QCMusicGuild.com. - Mike Schulz
What Else Is Happenin'...?
MUSIC
Wednesday, June 10 - The Glenn Miller Orchestra. The world's most popular big band in its 53rd year, under the direction of trombonist Larry O'Brien. Jumer's Casino & Hotel (777 Jumer Drive, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $30. For tickets and information, call (309)756-4600 or visit JumersCRI.com.
Thursday, June 11 - Kenny Chesney. Four-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, with openers Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7:30 p.m. $22.50-$99.50. For tickets and information, call (309)764-2000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
Friday, June 12 - Wayne Newton. "Mr. Las Vegas" in concert. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $35-$54. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Tuesday, June 16 - O.A.R. Alternative rockers in their "This Town Tour." Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $35. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Thursday, June 18 - Joanne Shaw Taylor. British blues singer and guitarist, in a presentation by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. Creekside Bar & Grill (3303 Brady Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $8-$6. For information, call(563)322-5837or visit MVBS.org.
Thursday, June 18, and Friday, June 19 - Horizon: The U.S. Navy Rock Band. Seven-piece ensemble performing top-40 hits, classic rock, Motown, country, funk, and jazz in its Midwestern tour. Thursday - The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RedstoneRoom.com. Friday - The Daiquiri Factory, as part of the venue's June 18-19 Five-Year Anniversary Party (1809 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. Free admission. ($5 for 9:30 p.m. performance by the Funktastic Five.) For information, call (309)283-1809 or visit DaiquiriFactory.com.
Saturday, June 20 - The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show. Benefit performance for Bethany for Children and Families, with performances by the Drifters featuring Charlie Thomas, Himmy Clanton, Kathy Young, the Original Spaniels, the Eldorados, Daddy G & the Church Street Five, the Edsels, and the Flat Cats. Adler Theatre (136 East 3rd Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $67-$27. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
THEATRE
Thursday, June 11, through Sunday, June 21 - The Last Mass at St. Casimir's. Comedy-drama by Tom Dudzick, concluding Richmond Hill's Pazinski-family trilogy that began with 2005's Over the Tavern, and continued with 2007's King o' the Moon. Richmond Hill Barn Theatre (Richmond Hill Park, Geneseo). Thursday through Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m. $8. For tickets and information, call (309)944-2244 or visit RHPlayers.com.
Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14 - A Night at the Opera. Musical highlights presented by Opera@Augustana. Lincoln Park (11th Avenue and 40th Street, Rock Island). 8 p.m. Free admission. For information, e-mail guild@genesius.org or visit Genesius.org.
Friday, June 12 through Sunday, July 12 - A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare's romantic-comedy classic, performed in repertory with Richard III as part of the 2009 Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival. Festival Stage (Lower City Park, Iowa City). Scheduled Wednesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; scheduled Tuesdays and Sundays, 7 p.m. $37-$15. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.
Thursday, June 18, through Saturday, June 27 - Lend Me a Tenor. Ken Ludwig's Tony-winning farce about a crazed theatre manager, a bookish assistant, and a drunken opera diva. Timber Lake Playhouse (8215 Black Oak Road). Friday and Saturday 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 6:30 p.m. $11-$20. For tickets and information, call (815)244-2035 or visit TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
Thursday, June 18, through Sunday, June 28 - Death Defying Acts. One-act comedies by David Mamet, Elaine May, and Woody Allen. Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (311 Riverview Drive, Clinton). Thursday through Saturday 7:30 p.m., Wednesday and Sunday 3 p.m. $18. For tickets and information, call (563)242-6760 or visit ClintonShowboat.org.
Friday, June 19, through Saturday, June 27 - South Pacific. Countryside Community Theatre's production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II-era musical. North Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium (200 South First Street, Eldridge). Thursday through Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $10-$12. For information, call (563)285-6228 or visit CCTOnStage.org.
Friday, June 19 through Friday, July 10 - Richard III. Shakespeare's history play, performed in repertory with A Midsummer Night's Dream as part of the 2009 Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival. Festival Stage (Lower City Park, Iowa City). Scheduled Wednesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; scheduled Tuesdays and Sundays, 7 p.m. $37-$15. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.
Saturday, June 20, through Sunday, June 28 - Hecuba. Genesius Guild's production of Euripides' Greek tragedy, performed in masks of the period. Lincoln Park (11th Avenue and 40th Street, Rock Island). Saturday and Sunday 8 p.m. Free admission. For information, e-mail guild@genesius.org or visit Genesius.org.
COMEDY
Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13 - Damon Wayans Jr. Comedian and co-star of the Showtime series The Underground and current comedy Dance Flick. Penguin's Comedy Club (421 West River Drive, Davenport). Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday 7:30 and 10 p.m. $16.50-$22. For information, call (563)324-5233 or visit QCFreightHouse.com/penguinsComedyClub.upcoming.php.
Friday, June 12 - Paul Rodriguez. Comedian and co-star of hit films Rat Race and Ali. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (2021 State Street, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $20-$25. For tickets and information, call (800)843-4753.
EVENTS
Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13 - Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen Pageant and Miss Iowa Pageant. On Friday, 11 teens compete for the title and the opportunity to compete at Miss America's Outstanding Teen Pageant in Orlando; on Saturday, contestants will be judged on Talent, Private Interview, Evening Wear, and Physical Fitness in an evening themed "The Greatest Show on Earth." Capitol Theatre (330 West Third Street, Davenport). Friday 6:30 p.m., Saturday 7 p.m. $15-$20/event. For tickets and information, call (563)326-8820 or visit TheCapDavenport.com.
Wednesday, June 17, through Saturday, June 20 - Sturgis on the River Motorcycle Rally. 15th-annual event featuring live music, vendors, competitions, races, demonstrations, the Budweiser Clydesdales, and more. Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds (2815 West Locust Street, Davenport). Wednesday 7-10 p.m., Thursday and Friday noon-midnight, Saturday 10 a.m.-midnight. $9-$35. For information, call (309)799-7469 or visit SturgisOnTheRiver.com.
Saturday, June 20 - WWE Raw Live. Scheduled matches include John Cena vs. The Big Show, and Triple H vs. Randy Horton. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7:30 p.m. $15-$55. For tickets and information, call (309)764-2000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
Saturday, June 20, and Sunday, June 21 - Quad City Air Show. Annual event featuring aerial performers, aircraft displays, demonstrations, exhibits, games, concessions, and more. Davenport Municipal Airport (I-80, Davenport). 8 a.m.-5 p.m. $5-$15. For tickets and information, call (563)285-7469 or visit QuadCityAirShow.com.
Sunday, June 21 - Ride the River 2009. Sponsored by River Action, the annual riverfront celebration featuring a bi-state tour of the Quad Cities along riverfront bike trails, a Celebration Belle cruise on the Mississippi River, rides across the Arsenal Bridge, and other events. Events begin at the Freight House (421 West River Drive, Davenport). 6 a.m.-3:30 p.m. For information, call (563)322-2969 or visit RiverAction.org.
