Events Calendar

Join us for September's Old Friends Talk Art with Angelica Penn at 10am Wednesday, September 23 in the Board Room of the Warren County Public Library. Hear about the process of publishing her first book, "The Beast and the Beauty." This event is free and open to the public, refreshments will be served.

Esther J. Hamori will deliver the 39th Annual Mary Olive Woods Lecture in Religious Studies and Philosophy at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, in the University Union Sandburg Theatre.

Hamori is a professor of Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Her research is focused on conceptions of divine-human contact and communication in the Hebrew Bible and other ancient Middle Eastern literature.

Hamori’s 2023 book, “God’s Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible,” explores how in both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, God deploys an entourage of monsters. Hamori suggests that confronting God’s monsters and the God-monster may be uncomfortable, but that biblical writers’ unflinching depictions of the monstrous God validate the human experience of a world that is unpredictable, unjust, and at times monstrous.

The annual Mary Olive Woods Lecture is sponsored by the Religious Studies and Philosophy

Programs in the School of Humanities and the Mary Olive Woods Foundation. The event is open to the public.
Light refreshments will be served after in the Sandburg lounge.

This performance is free and will be live-streamed on the School of Music's YouTube channel.

Program to be chosen from the following:
Us - Thad Jones
Straight Out - Don Menza
A Foggy Day - George Gershwin/arr. Lennie Niehaus
Two in One - Thad Jones
The Party's Over - Jule Styne/arr. Lennie Niehaus
My Funny Valentine - Richard Rodgers/arr. Willie Maiden
It's Only a Paper Moon - Richard Rodgers/arr. Fletcher Henderson
I'll be Seeing You - Sammy Fain/arr. Gil Cray
One O'clock Jump - Count Basie/arr. Buck Clayton
Chucho - Paquito D'Rivera/arr. Justin Haynes

Sandburg will host a Founders Day celebration Sept. 24 on the Galesburg campus to commemorate its 60th anniversary.

The event will take place at 3 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Graham Health System Science & Technology Center Atrium. All are welcome to attend this free event. The celebration will include opening a time capsule sealed in 1976 during Sandburg’s 10th anniversary. It contains letters from past employees and students, along with other artifacts from 50 years ago.

The college plans to collect current-era items throughout the course of the year and reseal the time capsule so it can be opened by future generations.

Sept. 24 will mark 60 years to the day of the college’s establishment, and the first classes in Sandburg history took place exactly a year later, Sept. 24, 1967.

For questions, contact Emma Smith, student engagement specialist, at 309.345.3522 or studentlife@sandburg.edu. 

Fresh produce, baked goods, food, crafts, entertainment, and more in Downtown Burlington, Iowa!

You’re invited to the 2026 Evening of Excellence! This signature event brings our community together to honor outstanding achievements, share memorable moments, and celebrate success. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening—register now and join the celebration.

Tickets and event partnerships are available now

Award nominations are now being accepted through September 4, 2026.

Jenn Whalen will give a reading at 5:00 p.m., followed by a book signing.

Jennifer Whalen (she/her) is a poet, educator, & labor organizer from the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio area. She is the author of the poetry collection Eveningful, which was selected by Rick Barot as the winner of the Lightscatter Press Prize. Her poems can be found in Gulf Coast, Denver Quarterly, Fourteen Hills, Sixth Finch, Grist, The Boiler, & elsewhere. She previously served as writer-in-residence at Texas State University’s Clark House & currently teaches English at the University of Illinois Springfield.

You’re invited to the 2026 Evening of Excellence! This signature event brings our community together to honor outstanding achievements, share memorable moments, and celebrate success. 
Enjoy an elegant, fully catered meal paired with fine local wine and great company, all set against the backdrop of the rolling vineyard. Whether you're looking to network, celebrate with colleagues, or enjoy a beautiful night out, this is an event you won't want to miss. RSVP by September 10th!

September 24 – “On the Lawn” Series #4
6:30 PM concert
Conductor: Bruce Briney

We hope you’ll join us throughout the summer as we celebrate community, great music, and some very special performances, including our Independence Day concert!

Mark your calendars and bring a friend

Thursday Night Jazz at Smokin’ Willies BBQ
A Galesburg tradition for more than 30 years—every Thursday night starting Sept 17th!
Join us for Jazz Night with the Knox Cherry Street Combo, featuring special events throughout the fall term. Musicians, come sit in with the band!
Every Thursday | Sept. 17–Nov. 12
7:00–10:00 PM (some special nights begin earlier)
FREE admission | All ages welcome
Full bar + the best BBQ around
Smokin’ Willies BBQ | Galesburg, IL

Special Events:
October 15 — Matt Wilson’s Leap Day Trip
Masterclass at 6:00 PM
Jazz Night performance to follow
October 29 — Galesburg High School Vocal Jazz Ensembles and the Cherry St combo
November 5 — Mirza Residency at Jazz Night
Featuring Jenny Scheinman’s All Species Parade