Gladys Knight, Holiday Shows, Trivia Night 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 …
Gladys Knight Coming To Rhythm City Casino
Seven-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Gladys Knight, who was named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 100 greatest singers of all time will perform live Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. at Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, 7077 Elmore Ave., Davenport.
Tickets for the Rhythm City concert (originally scheduled for July 10, 2020) are $55, $65, $80 and $125, plus taxes and additional fees (fees are waived when tickets are purchased at The Market gift shop inside Rhythm City Casino Resort.
Tickets may be purchased online at rhythmcitycasino.com, by calling 844-852-4FUN or in person at The Market gift shop inside Rhythm City Casino.
Deck The Halls With Mockingbird On Main
When a snow storm hits and the star studded cast of a radio show can’t make it into the studio those who are now trapped inside the studio – the janitor, the writer, the assistant station manager and the young frazzled producer – must take over and see that show does indeed go on! DECK THE HALLS is a fast paced, family friendly holiday musical featuring such popular hits as Jingle Bells, Silent Night, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, a new version of O’ Little Town of Bethlehem and much more!
“The show is all fun and fluff and is the perfect getaway from the outside world,” Mockingbird co-founder Savannah Bay Strandin said. Creator Tristan Tapscott added, “We aren’t trying to reinvent any wheels or reimagine what theatre can do; we just wanted to bring something fun and happy to the landscape!”
DECK THE HALLS stars Doug Kutzli (as Doc, the writer); Gary Talsky (as Elias, the janitor); T.J. Green (as Roy, the producer);
and Kira Rangel (Loretta, the assistant station manager). DECK THE HALLS was written by Tristan Tapscott (who also directs) and features arrangements by Douglas Kutzli (who most recently teamed up on Circa ‘21’s virtual movie musical, BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN).
Sponsored by QuadCities.com, DECK THE HALLS will play the Mockingbird stage December 16, 17, 18 at 8pm.
Doors open at 7:30pm and all tickets are $10. Tickets can purchased by visiting TheMockingbirdOnMain.com!
320 Main Street, Davenport, IA 52801
themockingbirdonmain@gmail.com
IowaWorks Holding Success Fair
IowaWORKS will host the 5th Annual Quad-Cities Success Fair to assist Veterans, transitioning soldiers and the community in finding employment, resources and education opportunities.
The event will be held on Tuesday, December 14 from 1 to 4 PM in the Roglaski Center at St. Ambrose University.
“Veterans, military personnel and family members, will have the opportunity to have on-site interviews and network with some of the top employers in our region,” said Jacqueline Friemel, Local Veterans’ Employment Representative. “The community is also invited to participate and explore new career opportunities.”
“If you can’t attend the Success Fair, the IowaWORKS center in Davenport can provide additional resume and job-seeking services,” Friemel said.
More than 80 employers will be on hand to speak with job seekers about thousands of job opportunities in and beyond the Quad Cities.
“We are excited to help the community connect with employers and the needed resources to help people succeed in diverse careers,” James Stout, Veteran Representative at IowaWORKS, said.
IowaWORKS founded the Quad-Cities Success Fair five years ago to provide hiring resources for veterans and their spouses. Today, the community event has grown to be one of the largest job fairs in Eastern Iowa. The event’s success has flourished through a partnership with the Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois Department of Employment Security and St. Ambrose University.
AT A GLANCE:
- WHAT: 5th Annual Quad-Cities Success Fair hosted by IowaWORKS
- WHO: Employers, job seekers, IowaWORKS staff
- WHEN: Tuesday, December 14, 2021 from 1 to 4 PM
- WHERE: St. Ambrose University – Roglaski Center — 2100 N. Ripley St., Davenport, IA 52803
- CONTACT: IowaWORKS 563-445-3200 Option 2
Richmond Hill Players cover all the holiday classics in “Every Christmas Story Ever Told”
Richmond Hill Players concludes its 2021 season with the holiday comedy Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some), written by John K. Alvarez, Michael Carlton, and James FitzGerald. It will be presented for the last time TODAY at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo.
The show takes a little of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” mixes in “The Gift of the Magi,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and “It’s A Wonderful Life,” then adds touches of “A Christmas Carol,” “The Nutcracker” and a few other BHCs (Beloved Holiday Classics). It’s a fast, fond, and furious romp through everyone’s favorite traditional Christmas memories, performed as three actors cram an entire season’s worth of stories, carols and television specials into 90-minutes of non-stop family-friendly fun.
The cast features Nathan Johnson, Jonathan Grafft (both Geneseo) and Michael Kelly (Rock Island).
Mike Skiles, Geneseo, directs the show. The staff includes stage manager Jackie Skiles, light designer Jennifer Kingry, sound designer Larry Lord, light & sound board operator Dana Skiles, crew member Ann Keeney-Grafft, all Geneseo, and crew member Kady Patterson, Silvis.
Today’s show is a 3 pm matinee with the doors opening at 2 pm. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Richmond Hill box office at 309-944-2244 or by visiting the website at www.rhplayers.com. Late seating is not permitted; no one will be admitted to the theater after the show has started. Admission to all performances is $12.
Nutcracker Last Show Is TODAY
Everyone’s favorite holiday performance is back on the Adler Theatre stage! Celebrate the holidays with an enchanted experience for the whole family. Be swept away on a journey to the land of sweets, as Orchestra Iowa & Ballet Quad Cities present The Nutcracker. Breathtaking sets, dazzling costumes, incredible dancers, and extraordinary music. This performance will leave you with memories to cherish for years to come.
The last show of the performance run is TODAY, December 12th at 2:30pm
Tickets to The Nutcracker – Davenport can be purchased HERE
What If The Three Wise Men Were Ninja Wizards?
You’ve all heard the classic tale of the Nativity – Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus as the three wise men follow a star to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
But what if… the three wise men were NINJA WIZARDS sent to protect Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus from the evil of King Herod and Satan, who sought to kill the holy family before they made it to Bethlehem?
That’s the pulse-pounding premise of THE ARIMATHEAN, a new action- adventure novel from author Sean Leary. The book is an action-packed popcorn tale that’s part “Lord of the Rings,” part “The Bible,” merging the worlds of sword and sorcery action with a faith-affirming saga of belief, perseverance and the ultimate good vs. the ultimate evil.
Sean Leary, author of The Arimathean, will be signing copies of that book and his other books, from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12 at The Book Rack, 4764 Elmore Ave., Davenport.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks (“March”) said of THE ARIMATHEAN, “It’s fantastic! What a wonderfully imaginative idea!” Best-selling crime fiction author Matthew Clemens (“No One Will Hear You”) raved “This book rocks!” And Yahoo! News Chicago wrote “It’s got ninja wizards, zombies, vampires, demons, monsters and Jesus – this is the most fun book I’ve read in a long time!”
THE ARIMATHEAN is available in bookstores worldwide, distributed by Ingram Books and Amazon.com. It’s also available on all online bookstores, as an ebook at smashwords.com and at seanleary.com. THE ARIMATHEAN is the first in a saga of books, the second of which, THE BLOOD OF DESTINY, and the third of which, BLACK KNIGHT APOCALYPSE, are also in stores worldwide.
For more information see www.seanleary.com.
Walk Through A ‘Winter Wonderland’ With Circa ’21
For the theatre’s holiday 2021 production in its spectacular 44th season of live entertainment, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is treating family audiences to a special holiday gift: the yuletide musical revue WINTER WONDERLAND. This charmingly festive stage delight will charm 
audiences with its magical blend of laughs, sentiment and beloved songs from the past, and it’s being brought to life by a marvelous team of professional talents.
WINTER WONDERAND will be presented at Circa ’21 through December 29, with performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays evenings at 7:45 p.m., Sundays at 5:45 p.m. and Wednesday matinées at 1:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $53.55 for the evening dinner-and-show productions and $46.73 for the plated-lunch matinées.
Reservations are available through the Circa ’21 ticket office. For reservations, contact the theatre at 1828 Third Ave., Rock Island, IL. or by calling 309-786-7733 ext.2.
In this heartwarming musical tale, a dad wishes to celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas like the ones of his youth leads him and his family first to a historic Christmas-tree farm, and then on a magical journey to the year 1921, where he learns that while remembering the past is important, the best way to hold on to tradition is to enjoy the Christmas present! Written for Circa ·21 by longtime Bootlegger and frequent mainstage actor Brad Hauskins, WINTER 
WONDERLAND is a nostalgic celebration of family that will leave audiences of all ages filled with the peace and joy of the holiday season.
Hauskins’ musical revue originally was presented at Circa ’21 during the 2000 holidays, and while his new version retains the former show’s title, situation and characters, it is now being staged with a new storyline and a new score of old favorites arranged and orchestrated by the author, Laura Hammes and Mason Moss. As Hauskins explained of this new WINTER WONDERLAND, you’ll hear a lot of traditional Christmas music, but a little differently from what we did 20 years ago. And all the songs are songs from that [1921] era, but they’re not necessarily all Christmas-themed · there’s some Irving Berlin and other songs that we’ve sort of incorporated into the storytelling.”
He continued, There’s a lyric in the song ‘Winter 
Wonderland’ that weighs heavily into the show: ‘To face unafraid the plans that we made.’ And to me, that was the hook of what I’m trying to say. That’s what living in the present day means. We make plans, we celebrate this holiday in spite of all the things that are going wrong and we face our plans unafraid. That’s a really appropriate statement for what we’re trying to do.”
Directing WINTER WONDERLAND for Circa ’21 is Sean McCall, former artistic director at the Old Creamery Theatre in Amana, Iowa, who also directed the Rock Island theatre’s smash-hit comedy Shear Madness in 2016. And with the show’s gifted cast of 10 including first-time Circa ’21 performers Wrigley Mancha (Quad City Music Guild‘s Matilda: The Musical), Mark Leo McGinn (Music Guild’s The Drowsy Chaperone), and local eighth-grader Cameryn Bergthold, seven familiar talents are returning to the Rock Island stage: Ashley Mills Becher (Saturday Night Fever), Bobby Becher (Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn), Derrick Bertram (Newsies), Erica Lee Bigelow (Disenchanted), Savannah Bay Strandin (Beehive: The ’60s Musical), Tristan Layne Tapscott (Kinky Boots), and Krianna Walljasper (Annie).
Circa ’21’s entire team is ecstatic to welcome audiences back for the holidays after last year’s unanticipated season off and urges patrons to make reservations early for what will no doubt be an unforgettable night of stage magic and merriment. Call 309-786-7733 ext. 2 for reservations and treat your whole family to the glorious stage celebration that is WINTER WONDERLAND!
Live On Tuesday Night, It’s Trivia Night Live!
Trivia Night Live is rolling into The Tangled Wood in Bettendorf every Tuesday at 7 p.m.!
It’s 
Free To Play, with up to eight people per team playing in various categories.
What is Trivia Night Live?
Trivia Night Live is a live interactive team trivia game played at your favorite restaurants and bars. The game consists of four rounds of questions of increasing difficulty and point values. Categories range from current events, history, geography, science, sports, and more….
Trivia Night Live is free to play, and you can have up to 8 members on a team.
Prizes are awarded for the winner of the 1st half and the overall winners win a $25 gift card for 1st Place, $10 for 2nd Place (cannot be used the same night).
We ask a question, and then play a song. Your team has the duration of that song to turn in your answer. No cell phones. web devices or smart watches can be used, just the useless trivial knowledge contained between your ears.
#LiveFromDavenportItsTriviaNight
presented by Think & Drink Entertainment.
Bootleg Hill Open Mic Every Thursday
Looking for a spot to showcase your talents?
How about the Bootleg Hill open mic night?
The musical open mic night is back. Happening weekly at Bootleg Hill Honey Meads in downtown Davenport. All are welcome. Hosted by Dan Fennesy and starts at 8 p.m.
Want To Watch Some Classic Movies?
Join Davenport Public Library every third Wednesday, through December 15th at 2:00 pm at Eastern (6000 Eastern Ave.) as we watch classic movies starring your favorite actors and actresses! For your safety, we will not be serving popcorn or refreshments. However, you are welcome to bring your movie snacks and covered beverages! Space is limited so registration is required at: https://bit.ly/dpl-afternoonclassics.
This event is FREE and open to the public. For more information visit www.davenportlibrary.com or call the library at (563) 326-7832.
