The Old Creamery Theatre is offering free admission to all firefighters at the Friday, August 1 performance of Snoopy!!! The Musical on the Main Stage at 7:30 pm.

Reservations are recommended. Reserve by calling our box office at 319-622-6262. Please bring your badge or any sort of firefighter identification to show the box office staff.

Snoopy!!! The Musical, opens July 17 and runs through August 10 on the Old Creamery's Main Stage, with shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 2:00 pm and on Fridays and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $28 for adults and $10 for kids ages 5 to 18.

This is a family friendly show that is Rated G. Here's a bit more about the show: It's the world according to Snoopy! Come join Charlie Brown, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Linus, Woodstock, and Sally as they celebrate the wisdom of Charles Schultz and the world's most famous Beagle in this delightful musical that's fun for the whole family.

Mount Carroll--Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP) presents the side-splitting comedy Rumors Thursday, July 17 through Saturday, July 26 starring ten performers who have quickly become some of the area's favorite comedic actors.  Derek Bertelsen, who staged last year's Spamalot, returns to direct the play by American comedy master, Neil Simon, about an anniversary party gone hilariously wrong.

Cody Jolly (Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein) and Allison Hunt (Elizabeth in Young Frankenstein) kick off the mayhem as Ken and Chris Gorman, married lawyers who arrive at the home of the Charlie Brock, deputy mayor of New York City, only to discover that their host seems to have shot himself and his wife is nowhere to be found. As more of their upperclass friends arrive, the Gormans conspire with Lenny and Claire Ganz, played by Matt Webb (Patsy in Spamalot) and Caroline Murrah (Sheila in An Inspector Calls), to make sure that everyone's reputations are kept firmly intact, despite the mounting absurdity.

Analisha Santini and Grant Brown (Frau Blucher and Inspector Kemp/Blind Hermit, respectively,  in Young Frankenstein) are the next to arrive as Cookie and Ernie Cusak, a TV cooking host and her psychoanalyst husband. The farcical accusations and cover-ups continue to spin out of control with Glenn and Cassie Cooper, a bickering political couple, played by Gabriel Brown (Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and Lexie Plath (Inga in Young Frankenstein).

When the police arrive (Blake W. Price and Christian Chambers), it's time for explanations, no matter how ludicrous they might seem. Director Bertelsen said, "The dream cast we have assembled for this play brings it to new comedic heights. Audiences already love them for their past work at TLP, and I think people are going to continue to be blown away by their talents."

Neil Simon's success as a comedic playwright and screenwriter is unmatched. His work includes The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park, Biloxi Blues, The Goodbye Girl, Sweet Charity, The Out-Of-Towners and Promises, Promises. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Lost In Yonkers.

Rumors performs evenings at 7:30 p.m., and there are 2:00 p.m. matinees on Sunday and Wednesday. There is also a Saturday matinee performance on the opening weekend at 3pm. Order tickets through the box office 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily at 815-244-2035 or any time at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org.

###

Mount Carroll, IL-- The Magic Owl Children's Theatre at Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP) presents an hour-long version of Pinkalicious the Musical, based on the books by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann July 8, 10, 11 and 12 at 2:00 pm. All tickets for Magic Owl shows are only $6.00 and partially sponsored by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Each year, these subsidized Magic Owl shows introduce thousands of young people to the joy and magic of live theatre.

The musical tells the tale of Pinkalicious Pinkerton, who can't stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor's office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toe - a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast. But when her hue goes too far, and her brother --and some dancing birds and flowers--get involved, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this pink predicament. Pinkalicious the Musical is about learning the power of self-control and the importance of moderation.

The cast includes members of TLP's professional resident company from all over the country including Anastasia Arnold, a recent graduate of Millikin University, in the title role. James Kolditz directs with choreography by Bethany Fay.

Pinkalicious the Musical has additional performances August 5, 7, 8 and 9 at 11:00 a.m. TLP is located at 8215 Black Oak Rd. in rural Mount Carroll, IL. Tickets are $6.00 and are available at the box office, by calling 815-244-2035 or visiting www.timberlakeplayhouse.org. The show is appropriate for all ages. Early reservations are suggested, as many Magic Owl shows sell out.

CARBONDALE – July 2, 2014. Heading into the Fourth of July weekend, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"As we prepare to celebrate our country`s 238th birthday, we should take time to look back on the half century since the enactment of the Civil Rights Act," Simon said. "Today, we should honor the brave struggle of activists like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and the Freedom Riders. We have come a long way, but there is still more work to be done to ensure true equality."

Simon spent part of the day Wednesday, the anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act, at Southern Illinois University, where she spoke to international students about American politics and civil rights.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was conceived by President John F. Kennedy, defended in Congress by U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois, and enacted under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Signed July 2, 1964, it ensures equality under the law regardless of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The law has given Americans a tool to fight discrimination in housing, the job market, the courtroom, and at the polls.

Simon continues to support the expansion of civil rights in Illinois. She spoke out in favor of marriage equality, and celebrated alongside activists as the marriage equality law went into effect last month. The law ensures the marriages of same-sex couples are legally recognized in Illinois.