A Year with Frog and Toad is a delightful family-friendly musical;
The Holiday Cabaret Offers "Naughty" and "Nice" Entertainment

A Year with Frog and Toad

City Circle Acting Company of Coralville and Hills Bank will present the Broadway hit musical A Year with Frog and Toad for six performances December 12-21 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.  Adapted from the beloved books by Arnold Lobel by Willie Reale and Robert Reale, this heartwarming musical tells the story of a year in the life of forest neighbors Frog and Toad and their many woodland friends.

Lobel's stories of the worrywart Toad and the perky Frog are brought to life in lively songs and charming scenes.  Through the course of their year, Frog and Toad awake from hibernation, plant gardens, swim, have picnics, bake cookies, fly a kite, rake leaves, tell stories, and celebrate Christmas before hibernating again.  They have comic interactions with Birds, Moles, a Mouse, a Snail, and a Squirrel.  The New York Times calls the script, "bright, bouncy, altogether lovable."

The cast features Joe Mosher as Frog, Ken Van Egdon as Toad, Brett Boden as Snail, and Renee Zukin, Heidi Bibler, Katherine Boothroyd, and Kristina Rutkowski as the forest animals.  This production is directed by Liz Tracey, who previously directed the hit production of Jesus Christ Superstar for City Circle.  Wesley Habley serves as music director.  Lead sponsorship is provided by Hills Bank and Trust.

Performances are Fridays at 7pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm December 12-21 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.  Tickets ($12-$27) are available at coralvillearts.org, by phone at 319.248.9370, and in person at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts box office (1301 5th Street) and Coralville Recreation Center (1506 8th Street).  ACT is sponsoring 100 free tickets for youth under 18 for the December 12 performance; these free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis by calling or visiting the box office.

Holiday Cabaret - Sugar & Spice

City Circle is again presenting a Holiday Cabaret featuring music, dance and comic performance by local artists celebrating the season.  Performances are Saturdays, December 13 and 20, with a "Nice" cabaret of warm family fare at 7:30pm, and a "Naughty" show at 10pm featuring more mature material.  Performs include Broadway veteran Kristen Behrendt DeGrazia,  Christopher Okiishi, Ryan Shellady, Ellen Stevenson, Carrie Houchins-Witt, Elijah Jones, Paula Grady, Young Footliters, and more.  Tickets are $10 for one performance, or $15 for both, and are available at coralvillearts.org, by phone at 319.248.9370, and in person at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts box office (1301 5th Street) and Coralville Recreation Center (1506 8th Street).

City Circle Acting Company is the community theater program of the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.  Since 1997, City Circle's mission has been the production of high quality dramatic, musical, and performing art pieces for the enjoyment of the public.  Upcoming City Circle productions Black Comedy and The Real Inspector Hound (February 13-15), and Into the Woods (April 24-May 3).

Owned and operated by the City of Coralville, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to enriching the community and contributing to the vitality of Coralville by offering an accessible, affordable venue for a variety of performances, presentations, and public and private events.  The 472 seat theater opened August 26, 2011 and has hosted performances from City Circle Acting Company, Orchestra Iowa, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Dan Knight, Lola Astanova, Lorie Line, Judy Carmichael, Jim McDonough, Nolte Academy of Dance, and many others.  Coralville schools are also able to use the Center free of charge up to three times per year; 15 school events took place at the Center in the 2013-2014 school year. The Center was named 2012 Member of the Year by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

AMES, IA (12/08/2014)(readMedia)-- The College of Engineering at Iowa State has named James Dewey Boddie, Jr., of Bettendorf, Iowa, the outstanding senior for fall 2014. Boddie, Jr. will graduate with a degree in Software Engineering during the university's commencement held December 20.

Each academic department nominates one senior to receive this honor. Outstanding seniors represent some of the best and brightest students in their program and boast impressive achievements.

Boddie has completed internships at Maverick Software Consulting, HERE: a Nokia company and VSI Aerospace. During these experiences, Boddie built his professional portfolio in various ways, including performing iPad testing for Thompson Reuters, worked within Nokia's autonomous vehicle team and helped develop an educational flight simulator known as DAVinCI Flight. He also served as teaching assistant, tutor and proctor.

On campus, Boddie was also active in educational outreach; he served as mentor and facilitator for first LEGO League Team and is developing an educational USS Battleship Iowa game for the naval vessel's museum. He was also selected for many scholarships during his time at Iowa State.

Boddie will be working for software engineer for IBM.

The Rock Island Beautification Commission is sponsoring the 29th Annual Holiday Lighting Contest to recognize Rock Island residents and businesses that decorate with exceptional seasonal lighting displays. To nominate a residential or commercial light display, send the name and address of the display to the Rock Island Beautification Commission, Rock Island City Hall - 1528 Third Avenue, or call (309) 732-2909 with a nomination.

Nominations must be received by 5 p.m., Wednesday, December 17, 2014. Judging will take place on Monday evening, December 22. All displays should be illuminated by 5:30 p.m. There will be awards for the top winners in the residential and commercial categories. Winners of the 2012 and 2013 Holiday Lighting Contests are not eligible.

Every New Year inspires a wave of self-improvement, which for many people includes improving their overall health.

Unfortunately, a recent study from the University of Scranton's Journal of Clinical Phycology says only 8 percent of those who make a New Year's resolution see their goals come to fruition.

Regardless of the specific goal, people establishing resolutions to improve their health need to start with a foundation. A nutritional foundation is required for anyone who is setting out to improve his or her 'health'," says Dr. John Young, M.D., a physician specializing in the treatment of chronic illnesses through biochemical, physiological and nutraceutical technologies, and the author of "Beyond Treatment: Discover how to build a cellular foundation to achieve optimal health," (www.YoungHealth.com).

"Many of us want to lose weight, gain muscle and improve our cardiovascular endurance, but those goals cannot be accomplished without addressing the body's fundamental needs. A healthy body begins with a healthy cellular foundation, and a healthy cellular foundation begins with what we're putting in our bodies."

A protein shake is a common way some people like to supplement their health plans, but Dr. Young says those health drinks are usually missing one or more essential components. He lists them and explains why they're so important.

1.  Whey protein: Can be a great option for protein supplementation assuming it's of the highest possible quality. Look for protein powder that is cold processed (non-denatured), meaning it's never heated to temperatures above 130 degrees. Also makes sure it's made with milk from cows that haven't been pumped full of hormones and that have been grazed on pesticide-free, chemical-free, natural grass pastures. Make sure the protein is completely free of chemicals, artificial flavors and artificial sweeteners.

2.  Omega oils: Because of their molecular makeup, Flax Seed oil and Cod Liver oil are two of the most important oils you can consume. They supply a number of important nutrients for nearly all systems of the body, including the heart and immune system as well as the brain. In order for these oils to be effectively incorporated by the body, they need to be "hidden", or emulsified into a protein so they aren't destroyed during the digestive processes. This is a huge key that most people completely miss.

3.  pH stabilization: pH is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity in your body and ranges from zero on the acidity end to 14 on the alkaline end. Evidence suggests that a healthy balance in pH increases strength in muscle and bone, improves brain function and decreases the risk of chronic disease. Because our diets are so acidic these days, I use a pH balancing formula in my practice to help keep my patients in the stable pH range.

Along with the three pillars of Dr. Young's approach to healthy protein shakes, he recommends appropriate amounts of fruits and vegetables and an overall balanced diet.

About Dr. John Young, M.D.

Dr. John Young is a medical doctor with more than 15 years' experience working in emergency rooms and pediatric burn units. He's the Medical Director of Young Foundational Health Center, specializing in treating patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes by addressing the physiological issues. He's also the Medical Director of Young Health Products, a company that produces nutritional products developed by incorporating the latest biochemical, physiological and Nobel Prize-winning protocols. Dr. Young is the author of "Beyond Treatment." He answers questions via a call-in conference call every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time by calling 760-569-7676 and using access code 772967