Mount Carroll--Timber Lake Playhouse, Illinois' longest running professional summer theatre, presents a new staging of the legendary musical Cabaret. Guest Artist Lili-Anne Brown, the director behind Sweet Charity, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at TLP returns to stage this Tony and Academy Award winning song and dance show featuring a score full of standards that include "Cabaret," "Maybe This Time," "Don't Tell Mama" and more. TLP favorite Alexandra E. Palkovic returns to star as Sally Bowles, the character that made Liza Minnelli a star in Bob Fosse's film adaptation.

Both Brown and Palkovic are rising stars in the Chicago theatre world. Brown, a Chicago native, was recently named Artistic Director of Bailiwick Chicago, the company where her award-winning production of Passing Strange was produced. Additionally, she will make her Off-Broadway debut this fall, reprising her acclaimed performance in a new play called A Twist of Water, which transfers from Chicago to New York City in November.

Palkovic, who hails from Peoria and starred in Sweet Charity last summer at TLP, was recently seen in Legally Blonde and Pirates of Penzance at Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre. She will co-star with another TLP alum, Jenny Guse, in Singin' In The Rain this fall at the Drury Lane Theatre at Oakbrook.

Set in pre-war Weimer Berlin, Cabaret follows the fortunes of Londoner Sally Bowles who performs at the infamously decadent Kit Kat Klub. The musical, the second collaboration between John Kander (music) and Fred Ebb (lyrics), whose other work includes Chicago; Curtains; The Scottsboro Boys; Steel Pier; and Kiss of the Spider Woman, premiered on Broadway 1966. Joe Masteroff's book for Cabaret has been revised over the course of several Broadway revivals, and was based on John van Druten's play I Am a Camera, itself inspired by Christopher Isherwood's collected "Berlin Stories."

Isherwood inspired the character Clifford Bradshaw in the musical, played by Dryden Meints at TLP. The role of the Master of Ceremonies, for which Joel Grey won a Tony and an Oscar, is reinterpreted by Joe Capstick. Guest Artist Judy Knudtson (Working, Steel Magnolias) returns to play Fraulein Schneider and Chicago actor Rus Rainear makes his TLP debut as Herr Schultz, a role which he previously performed at The Ubique Cabaret Theatre, garnering a Jeff Award nomination for best supporting actor. New York based choreographer and TLP veteran, Andrew Parker Greenwood (Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, The Full Monty, Ragtime) returns to choreograph.

Cabaret performs August 2-12. Performances are at 7:30pm, Tuesday through Saturdays and there are 2pm matinees on Sunday and Wednesday. There is also a Saturday matinee performance on opening weekends at 2pm. Tickets are available through the box office during regular business hours, 11am - 6pm daily, at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org or 815-244-2035. Timber Lake Playhouse is located at 8215 Black Oak Road, Mount Carroll.

Timber Lake Playhouse, What's Your Story?

This program is partially supported by a grant for the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Production Sponsors are Kunes Country Auto Group and Compliance Signs.

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UPDATED: Media Advisory: USDA Deputy Secretary Merrigan to Host #ASKUSDA Virtual Office Hours on Local Food

Focus on 2.0 version of USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2012–TOMORROW at 1:30 pm EDT, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan will host a live Twitter chat focusing on the Department's support for local and regional food systems and the recent release of the 2.0 version of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass. Deputy Secretary Merrigan will answer your questions about the Department's work related to local food and ways the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass can assist your community.

This Twitter chat is a follow-up to last week's Google+ Hangout hosted by the White House and USDA on the same topic.

The Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass is a digital guide to USDA resources that support of regional food production. Originally released in February 2012, the 2.0 version of the Compass guide contains new case studies of successful regional food projects, while the interactive map feature now includes data on food hubs, farmers markets, meat processing facilities and more, as well as data on USDA-supported projects in all fifty states. The map is also searchable by key word and zip code, enabling users to zero in on the topics or regions that interest them most and see how USDA can help.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

1:30 p.m. EDT

WHAT: USDA Deputy Secretary Merrigan will answer questions about USDA's support for local and regional food systems and the 2.0 version of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass.

Follow the @USDA Twitter account. Use hashtags #askUSDA and #KYF2 to submit questions in advance and during the live Twitter chat.

USDA Virtual Office Hours, a monthly live question and answer series, allows stakeholders to directly engage with USDA leadership and subject matter experts through Twitter. Sessions are focused on a specific mission, issue or program as aligned with the Department's strategic goals and based on stakeholder interests.

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Riverside Theatre Announces September 15th Deadline for Monologue Submissions to Walking the Wire: TMI

Iowa City, IA - Riverside Theatre invites playwrights to submit monologues for performance in Walking the Wire. This annual celebration of original work features monologues of ten minutes or less by both established and emerging playwrights. The focus for this season's monologues is: TMI. Submissions must be emailed as a Word or PDF document and dated by midnight CST September 15, 2012; final selections will be announced on Riverside Theatre's website (www.riversidetheatre.org) on November 1, 2012. The monologues will be performed March 1-10, 2013 at Riverside Theatre.

Submission Guidelines

Riverside Theatre is seeking original monologues with the theme of TMI (too much information): moments of startling revelations...wince-worthy weirdness...and hilarious personal habits (that didn't really need to be shared).

1. Up to two submissions per author of original, unpublished and unproduced monologues less than ten minutes length (please read it aloud and include the approximate performance time on the first page of your submission; all lengths of up to ten minutes will be considered, with the objective of choosing monologues of varying lengths).
2. Selection considerations: Monologues should have strong forward action and a clear dramatic event or moment.
3. Copy requirements: double spaced in a minimum 12 pt. font, and including the playwright's name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.
4. Simple is best. Since Walking the Wire typically includes 10-12 monologues, it is important that each one require as little production as possible; set-pieces, props or effects needing set-up, strike, or special technical support may disqualify an otherwise excellent submission.
5. Email submissions (Word or PDF document attachment) must be dated by midnight CST September 15, 2012. Final selections will announced on Riverside Theatre's website, www.riversidetheatre.org on November 1, 2012.
6. Writers will be credited in all marketing and playbill materials; no royalties will be paid. Walking the Wire will be produced March 1-10, 2013. Playwrights are entitled to two complimentary tickets to any single performance; tickets are not transferable.
7. Submissions should be emailed to: artistic@riversidetheatre.org

For more information about Riverside Theatre, visit www.riversidetheatre.org.

The City of Davenport required King's Harvest Ministries to install a $57,000 new fire sprinkler system.

King's Harvest needed to raise the money for the new system or shut their doors. Through the Capital Campaign called Saving King's Harvest they raised $110,000 in 6 1/2 weeks. King's Harvest serves the poor and homeless in the Quad Cities and is located at 824 W. 3rd Street in downtown Davenport.

Anne McVey, Fundraising Coordinator for King's Harvest, stated "We are wanting to reach out and thank the community for coming to our aid. We had wonderful people who organized fundraisers and many people who just gave as individuals. Many, many people from the community and outlying areas called to help as volunteers. We want to thank them from the bottom of our hearts. It has been an outpouring of love and support from the Quad City community and outlying areas."

King's Harvest received an Emergency Grant from SCHC (Scott County Housing Council) for $28,500 and received approximately $81,500 through private donations.

King's Harvest will use $57,000 for the new fire sprinkler system. Another approximately $20,000 will go towards a new fire alarm system (the panel was donated by Deco Davenport Electric Company), new emergency exit lights and building repairs resulting from the installation of the new fire sprinkler system.

They plan to use the remaining money towards day-to-day operations of the organization and hope to possibly expand some of their services to help more people in need. Anne McVey stated "We hope to use some of the money to help reach more people in need. In the past we have had to turn people away due to limited resources."

King's Harvest does not want to leave God out of this endeavor. Anne McVey stated "God loves every person that passes through our doors, no matter how broken. Obviously God wanted to keep King's Harvest open and so did the community because they gave us the money to save our organization. It has been a beautiful thing to be a part of and we feel very blessed."