Cupcakes, Water Skiing, ‘The Mountaintop’ And More In This Week’s FUN10!
It’s Sunday, and QuadCities.com proudly presents Fun10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week!
Every Sunday, we drop a new Fun10, to give you a head start on your week and a heads up on what’s going on over the coming seven days. Check out Fun10 every Sunday for the details on ten awesome events happening around town. It’s a cool read, and a great way to get started planning your entertainment for the week.
FUN10 — ten ways for you to have fun in the Quad-Cities, this week and every week, running every Sunday, only on your site for fun, free, local entertainment, QuadCities.com!
So what’s on the Fun10 for this week? Read on …
Mockingbird On Main Debuts With ‘The Mountaintop!’
Downtown Davenport’s The Mockingbird On Main will present their inaugural production – Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop” July 29 through August 7.
What happened inside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis the night before the assassination of Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther
“The Mountaintop,” about the day before Martin Luther King’s 1968 assassination, will open on July 29.
King, JR. is a mystery. In “The Mountaintop,” Hall imagines what may have transpired in the overnight hours between the legendary civil rights leader and a seemingly inconsequential motel maid.
Hours after King’s famed final speech, punctuated by the immortal line “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” the celebrated reverend reveals his hopes, regrets and fears, creating a masterful bridge between mortality and immortality.
Praised as “wondrous, hilarious and heartbreaking” by London’s Independent and “a powerful, poetic take on (King’s) legacy” by the Los Angeles Times, “The Mountaintop” won the prestigious Olivier Award for Best Play in 2010.
Kira Rangel is director of “The Mountaintop.”
The production is directed by Kira Rangel and stars Anthony Hendricks as Martin Luther King, JR. and Erica Faye as Camae, the enigmatic maid. “The Mountaintop” is being stage managed by Synthia Gonzalez and produced by Tristan Tapscott and Savannah Bay Strandin.
“We are thrilled to be starting this new adventure with a piece like this and to be able to feature these artists”, co-producer Tristan Tapscott said. His partner – co-producer Savannah Bay Strandin added, “When I first saw The Mountaintop several years ago, I was moved beyond words. It is a stunning piece and I am overjoyed that this is our inaugural production”.
“The Mountaintop” will play The Mockingbird On Main’s Downtown Davenport venue located at 320 North Main St on July 29, 30, 31 and August 5, 6, 7 at 8:00pm. Doors open to the public nightly at 7:30pm. Advances reservations are highly encouraged as the venue is intimate and seating is limited. Tickets and details can be found by visiting TheMockingbirdOnMain.com!
“The Mountaintop” is being presented by Jackson County Protective Services and The Mockingbird On Main’s 2021 season is being presented by QuadCities.com.
Richmond Hill Holding Auditions Today
Richmond Hill Players will hold auditions for the last two shows of the 2021 season on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25 from 2 p.m. to
Richmond Hill Barn Theatre is in Geneseo’s Richmond Hill Park.
4 p.m. at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo.
The plays holding auditions are Clue: Onstage by Jonathan Lynn, directed by Dana Skiles, with the show running in mid-October; and Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) by John K. Alvarez, Michael Carleton and James FitzGerald, directed by Mike Skiles, with the show running in early December. Roles are available for up to 9-11 males and 6-8 females, ages ranging from 20’s to 60’s.
Both directors note that their shows are fast-paced and physically demanding. For more details, please visit the website at www.rhplayers.com (click on the auditions link) or telephone 309-944-2244.
See Backwater Gamblers Water Skiing Tonight!
Have Some Cupcakes At Rock Island Library!
Rock Island Public Library has created a particularly sweet event to wrap up “Reading Colors Your World” summer reading challenges. The Scratch Cupcakery Curbside truck will be on site at the Rock Island Downtown Library, 401 19th Street, Rock Island, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm on Tuesday, July 27.
Besides visiting the cupcake truck in the library parking lot to select from up to a dozen different Scratch flavors, guests can check at the library table to see what summer reading rewards they’ve earned, and browse a mini-sidewalk sale of used books for sale. Summer reading rewards can be collected inside the library.
The Midwest Writing Center Young Emerging Writers (YEW) program also plans to offer a pop-up camp next to the library table. The YEW pop-up camp includes writing games, activities, and crafts, including 1-page books and mad libs.
“Our theme this year has been all about rainbows and sprinkles, so what better way to wrap up a bright and colorful summer than with cupcakes? It’s also a reward for our readers who are helping us reach our community reading goal of 2,500 books and 50,000 minutes of reading,” said Lisa Lockheart, Rock Island Public Library publicity and outreach liaison. As of July 21, Rock Island readers of all ages had already logged more than 2,000 books and 40,000 minutes of reading.
Scratch Curbside will offer the following flavors for sale, while supplies last:
- Wedding Day: Almond cream cake and vanilla buttercream
- Oh Happy Day: vanilla sprinkle cake, vanilla buttercream
- Raspberry Cream: Raspberry cake, Raspberry Vanilla buttercream, Raspberry drizzle
- Rainbow: Skittles cake, multi-color vanilla buttercream
- Pieces: Peanut butter cake, chocolate peanut butter swirl buttercream, peanut butter candies
- Red Velvet: Red velvet cake, cream cheese buttercream
- Chocoholic: Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream
- Loaded Peanut Butter Cup: Peanut Butter cup stuffed chocolate cake, chocolate peanut butter buttercream, peanut butter drizzle
- Snickers: Chocolate Snickers cake, caramel buttercream, peanuts, chocolate chips
- Snowball: Chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream, flaked coconut
- Malted Milk Ball: Vanilla malted cake, chocolate malted milk buttercream, malted milk ball
- German Chocolate: Chocolate cake, coconut pecan frosting
Individual cupcake prices start at $2.50, with half-and-full-dozen packages also available.
Preorders of up to 45 dozen cupcakes are also available if orders are received before at least two business days before the event. To place an order with Scratch, call 319-277-7855. Gluten-free slices, cookies, and Vegan options are available on a pre-order basis. For more information, visit the library calendar or go to http://www.scratchcupcakery.com.
Last Call To See Genesius Guild’s Season Finale TODAY!
The Genesius Guild will close the 2021 season by going back to their roots with a Greek tragedy. Euripides’ Hippolytus will be staged July 24, and 25. All performances begin at 7:00 PM and will be held at the Don Wooten Stage in Lincoln Park, Rock Island. Admission is free.
This performance continues a longstanding tradition. The Genesius Guild’s first performance in Lincoln Park was Antigone by Sophocles, and the group has continued to perform a Greek tragedy, in mask, each season. Genesius Guild is the only theater in the United States to make Greek tragedy in mask an annual occurrence.
Hippolytus tells the story of the show’s namesake, the son of Theseus (the Athenian king of mythological fame) and Hippolyte, the queen of the Amazons. Hippolytus inadvertently angers Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, and Aphrodite’s resulting wrath tears apart his family. The tragic story shows the dangers of jealousy and demonstrates how leaping to conclusions and giving into personal blind spots can have devastating results.
The Genesius Guild is a community theatre organization located in the Quad Cities specializing in free classical drama. Founded in 1956, the group performs Greek drama, Greek comedy, the works of Shakespeare, and other classical authors every weekend throughout the summer.
For more information, please visit www.genesius.org
Bass Street Landing Summer Concert Series Shines On Moline
Moline Centre on Friday was excited to announce this year’s lineup for the Thursday night Bass Street Landing Summer Concert Series, off
17th Street and River Drive.
“It has been 610 days since our last FREE concert @ Bass Street, and we are ready to ‘safely’ party with all of you again on the plaza!” it posted on Facebook, noting it is partnering again with Courtesy Car City as both the title and vehicle sponsor for this year’s concert series.
Moline Centre “is taking many extra precautions to ensure that these series of concerts are following all CDC/State of Illinois Covid-19 safety guidelines,” the group posted. “We ask that all guests please wear a mask anytime social distancing is not possible. Social distance whenever possible. Frequently use the hand sanitizing stations that will be provided. Avoid concentrated gatherings of people. Please stay home and do not attend these concerts if you are sick or feeling sick.”
The Thursday night lineup for the free 7 p.m. concerts is:
- July 29: Been There Done That
- 5: Blues Rock-it
- 12: Smooth Groove
- 19: Avey Grouws Band
- 26: Alewife
- 2: Dynoride
Crafting by Color at the Davenport Public Library
Davenport Public Library has crafts for every color of the spectrum! Each week at the Fairmount Library we’ll offer a craft corresponding to color; do one or do them all. Registration is required for each week at http://bit.ly/dpl-craftingbycolor. Best for ages 6+
Wednesday, July 28th at 12:00 pm the concert is: Violet Beaded Dragonflies
When signing up, please indicate how many children will participate (make craft, etc.) and how many additional people will be present. Space is limited in order to maintain social distancing. If possible, please limit the number of non-participating attendees.
This program will be held outside in the Fairmount Children’s Garden. In case of inclement weather, the event will either be rescheduled or turned into a take-home kit.
These events are FREE and open to the public. For more information visit www.davenportlibrary.com or call the library at (563) 326-7832.
Add Color to Your Summer with Rock Island Library Events this week
Summer reading and events at the Rock Island Public Library begin the first week of June in full technicolor style with a summer reading “colorama” kickoff, a take-home pinwheel kit for kids, the start of Summer2Go events around the library bookmobile, a Friends and Family seminar with NAMI, and more.
Through July 31, Reading Colors Your World summer reading challenges and events at the Rock Island Public Library will encourage readers of all ages to be creative, try new things, explore art and color, and see the beauty of diversity.
Library summer reading programs help children and teens catch up on reading for fun, reduce summer learning loss, and connect to a lifelong pastime. The library’s summer reading contests encourage children, teens, and adults to continue reading with pre-set goals and rewards. Participants may enter and track anytime through July 31 with the library’s Beanstack site or app. A downloadable print log for all ages is also available via the Library’s website.
RME Rocks With Live At Five On Fridays
The River Music Experience, 2nd and Main streets, Davenport, has brought back the free Live@Five on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The RME courtyard will host live music featuring a wide range of genres and styles.
This year’s schedule of bands is:
- July 30: 10 of Soul
- 6: Heads In Motion
sponsored by Downtown Davenport - 13: The Dawn
sponsored by Quad Cities Foot & Ankle Associates - 27: Class of ’82 (‘80s New Wave / Retro Tribute Band)
sponsored by NerdFest& Massetone Entertainment - 3: The Bobby Ray Bunch
sponsored by MidAmerican Energy - 10: Avey Grouws Band
- 24: The Wontu Trees
sponsored by Dahl Ford Davenport
Bettendorf Public Library Offers Virtual Concerts
via the Bettendorf Public Library’s YouTube channel. No registration is required to access this online concert and viewing is free thanks to the support of the Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library.
