Events Calendar

The Biggest German Event of the Year! 3 Days of Fun

Willkommen to Central Illinois’ Biggest and Best Fest! This year’s festival has all your favorites with a few new things to put some guten in your tag!
The Peoria Park District and German American Central Society united their efforts in 1996 to bring the first of the “signature events” planned for the Peoria Riverfront.
Peoria’s Oktoberfest” is the Midwestern equivalent of the Munich Oktoberfest.
Location: Peoria Riverfront
9/18: 5 pm-11 pm
9/19: Noon-11 pm
9/20: 11 am-5 pm

Live big band music! The band is made of musicians from the area and plays old school jazz, funk, latin charts, and more.

Elizabeth Crecca returns with Gershwin's electrifyingly dazzling Piano Concerto in F. And joining us for a glamorous evening of standards is American Idol Golden Ticket Recipient Kelsey Madison, bringing her stunning voice to classics like Fever, Sway, and the Carpenters I Just Fall in Love Again. Dress up, come out, and join us for a night that lives up to its name — Puttin' on the Ritz.
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Ticket Information:
Free for students and children
General admission: $25
Best Value - Season Pass:
From now until August 1, get 7 concerts (3 Masterworks, 3 Pops, plus FREE Hollydaze ticket) for just $99.
Great Saving - Pops Series Pass:
Get 4 concerts (3 Pops, plus FREE Hollydaze ticket) for just $75.
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Dinner Reservation:
Make it a night to remember with our elegant pre-concert dining experience.
Add a gourmet dinner reservation for $60 per person. Each dinner ticket includes:
- a complimentary alcoholic beverage
- a dinner reservation
The dinner is family-friendly, and all meal options are identical for kids/students and adults.
To order and pay for dinner tickets online, select the Add Pre-Concert Dinner option for your preferred performance location during checkout. A symphony board member from your selected venue will call to confirm your reservation prior to the concert.
Tables of 8 people for the dinner may be purchased for $ 600 - an $80 savings!
For additional dinner reservation information, please contact:
Burlington - Diana Small
(773) 447-2304 or diana.small1312@outlook.com
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1 weekend, 1 concert program, 2 locations, choose the one that works best for you:
Saturday, September 19, 2026 - 7:00 PM
Bridge View Center, Ottumwa
Sunday, September 20, 2026 - 6:30 PM
The Capitol, Burlington

The Spirit of ’76 is marching to a different drummer as the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra is "Puttin' on the Ritz" for a pair of September Pops Concerts.
On the heels of the September 2025 standing-room-only presentation of George Gershwin’s 1924 “Rhapsody in Blue,” his 1925 Piano Concerto in F is ready to dazzle audiences in Ottumwa and Burlington one year later. And in the second half, Iowa’s own “American Idol” Golden Ticket winner, Kelsey Madsen of Cedar Rapids, returns to the SEISO stage. She’ll have temperatures rising with such sultry favorites as “Fever” and “Sway.”
The concerts begin at 7 p.m. Sept. 19 in Ottumwa’s Bridge View Center and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at The Capitol in Burlington. Pre-show gourmet dinner add-ons are available in both cities, and audiences are invited to meet the artists at free receptions after each concert.

Are you interested in protecting local waterways while enhancing your landscape? Join us for a FREE Rainscaping Education Program, a hands-on, research-based workshop designed to help homeowners, volunteers, and community members learn practical strategies for managing stormwater where it falls.

Participants will learn how rain gardens and other rainscaping practices can reduce runoff, filter pollutants, improve water quality, and create more resilient landscapes. The program covers the fundamentals of designing, installing, and maintaining rain gardens, with opportunities to apply what you learn in the field.
The class is free, but registration is required.

Fresh produce, local vendors, and community fun are right around the corner.
Still thinking about being a vendor? There’s time—reach out to the Hancock County Farm Bureau at 217-357-3141 or [hcfbmanager@gmail.com](mailto:hcfbmanager@gmail.com).
We can’t wait to see you there!

The Fort Madison Farmer's Market is growing, and we want you to be part of it! Join us on Mondays at Central Park from 4-6 pm in June-September.

Movie Mondays is a film series connected to the upcoming “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition. These films will be shown at the *Capitol Theater and will explore themes of communication, propaganda, and public understanding during World War II, highlighting how information shaped perspectives and decisions both then and now. Selections may include classic films from the era, such as “The Great Dictator”, along with other films that provide historical context and encourage meaningful discussion.

We’re kicking off Oktoberfest + our 3rd Anniversary with a week packed with good times!

Monday 9/21 – 6PM – 8PM
Anniversary Bingo with BIGGER, BOLDER prizes.

Wednesday 9/23
Our new Fall Drink Menu drops with old favorites + new sips.

Friday 9/25
Get your first taste of Bier Bowle, our German-inspired beer cocktail bursting with apple-berry flavor.

Saturday 9/26 - 8PM - 11PM
Wrap it all up with Big Guitars & G-Strings rocking the back patio from 8–11PM! 21+ • FREE

Come celebrate with us!

This performance is dedicated to the life and legacy of Drs. Hugo and Maurine Magliocco

PROGRAM

Soundtrack - Brian Sadler (b. 1982)

Luna - Aliyah Danielle (b. 1997)
with James Land, tuba

Fantasy for Trombone - Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)

Variations on Palestrina's "Dona Nobis Pacem" - David Fetter (b. 1938)

Sonata for Trombone and Brass Quartet - Jack Wilds (b. 1986)
I. Vivace
II. Andante
III. Allegro Animato
with
Nicole Gillotti and Ryan Ford, trumpets
Evan Goodson, horn
James Land, tuba

Nessun Dorma from Turandot - Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
with the WIU Trombone Choir - Kayelee Stockdale, Conductor
WIU Trombone Choir: Jem Frost, Colby Monarch, Kaylei Littig, Ethan LaBau, Cole Dowdal, Shiloh Watts, Madison Smith