As the noted comedians take on such topics as relationships, dating, parenting, and family life, audiences seeking a Valentine's date of laughter will no doubt find it at Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre February 8 presentation My Funny Valentine, a hilarious he said/she said boasting the standup skills of Seinfeld veteran Pat Hazell and former Miss New Jersey Dena Blizzard.

With its main event touted as “the biggest pro boxing event in the Quad Cities in over 20 years,” homegrown talents Limberth Ponce and Stephen Edwards square off in the Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center's battle royale Destiny: Live Professional Boxing – a February 2 clash of the titans presented by Alien Boi Boxing and Calkins Sports Productions and boasting additional exciting bouts for area boxing fans.

Race is an issue that, in daily life, can feel like a daunting one to approach. Yet Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center is addressing the subject head-on in its new, interactive, and accessible traveling exhibition RACE: Are We So Different? Open to museum guests from January 26 through June 23, RACE aims to help visitors of all ages better understand the origins and manifestations of race and racism in everyday life by investigating race and challenging its misconceptions through the framework of science. And as Putnam President and CEO Kim Findlay says, it's an exhibit designed “to explore race through history, science, and culture – which happen to be the three things the Putnam focuses on.”

Appearing locally with familiar traveling companions such as Peanut, José Jalapeño, Bubba J., Sweet Daddy Dee, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist, comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham brings his national “Passively Aggressive” tour to Moline's TaxSlayer Center on January 23, the performer's comic talent and audience rapport establishing why he holds the Guinness World Record for “Most Tickets Sold for a Stand-Up Comedy Tour.”