Events Calendar

Walnut Grove Farm’s Barn Fest is celebrating juried artisan shopping, great local food, live music, home grown produce, the Kids Art Contest and kid fun, with a quilt giveaway on October 3 & 4,10 & 11 from 9 to 5. The farm is located ½ mile north of Knoxville at Carr St. For details go to www.Barn-Fest.com.

This four-part, monthly craft club introduces adult makers to diamond painting and faux stained glass art. Each session includes make-and-take projects:

Session 1 - 1 diamond art bookmark, 1 faux stained glass glow art card, 1 faux stained glass bookmark

Western Illinois University Theatre and Dance has announced its Fall 2026 season, featuring a lineup of classic theatre, contemporary musical theatre, original dance works, and a showcase highlighting the talents of WIU students and faculty. The Fall 2026 season will take place in the new Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts, with performances in the Clow Theatre and Hainline Theatre, in Brown Hall.

TWELFTH NIGHT is a lively romantic comedy about mistaken identity, love, and self-discovery. After being shipwrecked, Viola disguises herself as a man and becomes entangled in a love triangle involving Duke Orsino and Lady Olivia, leading to confusion, humor, and unexpected revelations. Through wit and disguise, the play explores love in all its foolishness and joy.

One of Shakespeare's most well-known and well-beloved tragedies will open the theatre season at Monmouth College Oct. 9-11, which is also Homecoming weekend on campus.

The college's theatre department will present Macbeth - a tale of ambition, fate, and the price of choosing power over honor - on the Wells Theater stage.

On the eve of opening night, the cast will stage a dress rehearsal that's open to area theatre students and teachers. Another memorable rehearsal has already happened - a version of the play where the cast used their own words - not Shakespeare's - as a way to make sure they really understand their lines.
The play will be part of a jam-packed Homecoming weekend on campus, and Quick said his cast and crew will be busy with some of those assignments, including members of the football team, color guard and dance team.

Two of the cast's more veteran performers will not have such obligations: adult actors John Henderson, who "is both terrifying and hilarious" as The Porter, and Howard Moffet, who last year starred as The Narrator in Our Town. He'll play King Duncan.

Respighi's shimmering Fountains of Rome sets the scene, followed by the immensely popular Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition in Ravel's iconic orchestration. The evening culminates with our resident friend and returning soloist Spencer Myer applying his artistry to Grieg's beloved Piano Concerto.

Respighi- Fountains of Rome
Mussorgsky- Pictures at an Exhibition
Grieg - Piano Concerto in A Minor

Nova Singers, led by award-winning conductor Dr. Laura Lane, is thrilled to announce their 2026-27 concert season.  In its 41st season of bringing the finest choral music to audiences in Galesburg and the Quad Cities, Nova continues to push the envelope regarding innovative programming. The season opens on October 10th and 11th with Music of South Africa, featuring guest conductor Dr. Michael Barrett from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.  December’s concert, A Nova Christmas, celebrates the holiday season with favorite carols and other songs of the season.  In April 2027, Nova Singers will present So Breaks the Sun, a concert about hope and light.

Music of South Africa with guest conductor Michael Barrett

Respighi's shimmering Fountains of Rome sets the scene, followed by the immensely popular Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition in Ravel's iconic orchestration. The evening culminates with our resident friend and returning soloist Spencer Myer applying his artistry to Grieg's beloved Piano Concerto.

Respighi- Fountains of Rome
Mussorgsky- Pictures at an Exhibition
Grieg - Piano Concerto in A Minor

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!

Join PLC's Conservation Book Club as we read The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl. Follow the creatures and plants in Margaret's backyard over the course of a year! With beautiful illustrations throughout. 

Register below:

This presentation is for those who have been inspired by Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) and want to dig a little deeper. Prof. Mitchell Parks (Knox College) will put the movie into context: What does it keep from its ancient epic source and what does it leave out? Why have people been discussing and debating the movie since even before its premiere? And what other recent adaptations of The Odyssey are out there for you to explore?