Northern Illinois Community Calendar

The Coliseum Museum is honored to host a special collection of China by members of the Pickard Collectors Club. The club was founded in 1992 by Joy Luke of Bloomington, Illinois, who along with a small group of Pickard enthusiasts thought it was time to bring together collectors of Pickard porcelain and glass.

Wilder A. Pickard (1857-1939) started the company in 1894 by offering his customers hand-painted giftware, artware, and eventually dinnerware of the highest quality.

Today, Pickard, Inc., remains a family-owned business proudly producing high quality, hand-crafted china. Each Pickard generation carries on the tradition of producing Ivory and White porcelain for individuals as well as for government and corporate organizations, both domestic and international. For more information visit their website at https://pickardcollectorsclub.org

Les Allen
Taft Gallery, August 1 – September 30

Les Allen, an award-winning photographer based in Dixon, IL, specializes in Fine Art Traditional Black and White Photography. Using a large format camera, Les captures the surreal and abstract elements of the world around him.

In the world of analog photography, Les is a master printer, creating luminous and mesmerizing images that challenge perception and invite viewers into a dreamlike realm. His photographs, a manifestation of his deep connection with nature, convey his instinctual understanding of light, shadow, and composition. Evoking emotions, provoking thought, and inspiring viewers to explore their own intuitive connections with the world.

Join geologist Sara Kurth for a hands-on rock and mineral identification class. Learn to classify minerals using observation and hardness testing. Perfect for curious rock-hounds or scouts working on Earth Science badges, this class will deepen your understanding of earth science and teach you to identify rocks and minerals like a pro!

Unleash your creativity in this fun, hands-on jewelry-making workshop! Design your own unique gemstone creations—including a necklace, a keychain, and a pin. All materials are provided. Afterward, explore the Museum and enjoy a fun scavenger hunt. This workshop is the perfect way to delve into the world of stone jewelry.

Walt Whitman's buried masterpiece, the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, is the most revolutionary and inspiring work from America's greatest poet.

His unrivaled optimism and surprising insight into the potential of America are perhaps more relevant today than ever.

Experience Walt, the man — Hear the beauty and power of his poetry elevated when heard as a living voice, rather than a historical artifact. There will even be some hand drumming — in the spirit of Whitman as a bard and troubadour.

Whitman's poems will be placed in the context of his contemporary Transcendentalists—Emerson, Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. Sven Hansen then traces this American influence on both European thought and world spiritual traditions.

Sven has lived and studied in Norway and India and is a certified yoga teacher and sound healer. He has also owned and operated a music venue and coffee house for several years. Sven has played percussion in bands in the Chicago area and has published two books of poetry—"The Apprentice Lover" and “Get Thee Beneath My Skin.”

Questions and conversation will end the program. This program is open to all ages.

This event is part of the America 250 initiative, celebrating our nation throughout the year.

For additional information, please contact Chelsea at chelsear@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1700.

Two cops, three crooks, eight doors— GO! This laugh-out-loud door-slamming comedy from the playwright of The Angel Next Door centers around two adjoining motel rooms. A sting operation has been carefully set up. Detective Eric Sheridan (a smart guy who keeps getting caught with his pants down – that’s not a metaphor) has set up video surveillance on the adjoining room where he hopes to get evidence of corruption at City Hall. He is aided by Billie, an eager rookie who makes up for her lack of skills with incredibly misplaced confidence.

Add in a nervous accountant, a befuddled mayor, an insecure head of security and, well, things don’t go exactly as planned. Turns out our heroic cops have run afoul of an outlaw Scottish clan and a fierce highlander assassin has been summoned to “take care” of the situation. Yikes!

Performances at both 4 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 and 25.

Ticket available online or call the box office at 815-394-5004. Email boxoffice@artistsensemble.org.

Recommended for middle school and up.

You are invited to experience the collective wisdom and personal experience of artists' interpretation of the theme Echoes of a Changing Planet. Participating artists:
Norm Knott, Marsha Goodheart, Holly Blair-Cascio, Susan Berry, Julie Kennelly, Maya Simmons, Caitlyn Jahn, Paula Flanagan-Marsh, Barbara Berney, Lori Gustafson, Sadie Hoessrich, Becca Houlihan, Jose Sente, Greg LaMont, Clara Krick, Jessie Crow-Mermel, Wren Medina, Cassie Blair, Ventie Houi, Drew Helge, Annette McLean and Cherie Heck.

Paula Poundstone
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2026 | 7:00 PM

Tickets start at $59, Members save 30%
(All-in pricing includes $4 Box Office Fee. An $8 Order fee will be applied at checkout to the entire order)
Iconic comedian Paula Poundstone is known for her smart, observational humor and a spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend. She regularly plays theaters across the country, hosts a weekly comedy podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, and is a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me. She also voiced the character ‘Forgetter Paula’ in the feature films Inside Out and Inside Out 2.

Paula has starred in several HBO specials, including Cats, Cops and Stuff, which nabbed a cable ACE award for Best Comedy Special. She was the first female comic to host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. She filed live coverage of the 1992 Democratic and Republican National Conventions and the Presidential Inaugural for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and at the 93rd Emmy Awards. Paula has starred in two television series, both entitled The Paula Poundstone Show. Paula’s second book, The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness, was one of eight semi-finalists for the Thurber Prize For American Humor; the audiobook was one of five finalists for the AUDIE award for Audiobook of the Year. Paula has released five albums and is featured in several documentaries and compendiums noting influential comedians of our time.

Recommended: 18+

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Don’t forget to become a RaueNOW Member to save 30%!

*Prices vary according to zone. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

Box Office Fee – A $4 per ticket charge to support the ticketing software.

Order Fee – A $8 per order charge that helps operate and invest back in our historic venue.

Premium Seat Fee – $6 Premium seat fee is based on location/additional leg room and indicated with a light blue color on the seating chart.

Patron Code of Conduct: Be courteous. Inform staff if you feel or observe any harassment. We reserve the right to remove any guest at any time. For more information, please visit rauecenter.org.

Questions? Contact our Box Office at 815-356-9212; boxoffice@rauecenter.org
Raue Center For The Arts is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts.

The 19th Amendment and the Power of the Vote! Musical Presentation
September 18, 7:00 – 8:00pm (Doors open at 6:00pm)

$25 – member rate/ $30 non-member
Register online at
https://www.cmaaa.org/events--receptions.html

Anita Kallen and Catherine Thomson will present a special musical show that celebrates the law that affirmed women’s right to vote. With music by Sondheim, Lennon & McCartney, Parton, Porter, and others, Anita and Catherine weave in the story of women's suffrage. Don't miss this powerful performance that will take you on a musical journey through more than a century of voting rights history.

Audience Acclaim:
"A wonderful performance by smart, strong women with beautiful voices, music, humor and a fantastic historical journey shared. "
"This show is touching and important. Thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking. It reminds me of how much I’ve taken women’s rights and liberty for granted. They were possible because of the long, painful fight by those who refused to give up their hopes and dreams."
"This was a wonderful show! Thoughtful, clever, funny, beautifully sung!".

Concert for a Cause: Democracy is an evening filled with patriotic music celebrating the freedoms we share in America. Musicians Mark Dvorak and Joe Jencks are acclaimed artists who have travelled the world sharing their talent. Both have ties to Rockford. Joe was born in Rockford; Mark helped start the Rockford Foks Festival in the 1980s.

This fundraiser supports the work of the League of Women Voters of Greater Rockford.