5 things to do in the Illinois Valley: Boat races, and boat loads of music highlight the weekend

1. Cops 4 Cancer Summer Event: There will be live entertainment 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Cerri Memorial Park in Cedar Point. Cheese Pizza will headline Saturday’s musical performances. 303, Regal Beagle and Fueled by Whiskey also will perform Saturday. Tickets are a $20 donation. There also will be food, soft drinks, a beer garden, 50/50 and raffles. Friday’s entertainment Punch Fatty and Dropt. There will be a beer garden and a food vendor available. Pre-tickets are sold at Rudy’s Liquors, 285 Chartres St., La Salle, or at the event. A continuous loop shuttle will be offered to ferry people from from Peru taverns including Edge’s Tap, Bridgetender’s Pub, Riverfront Bar & Grill and Elle’s Tap, to the festival.

2. Pro National Championship Boat Races: The competition will heat up beginning noon Friday on Lake DePue. There will be a $5 admission for the professional races. “Rodeo Drive” will perform a free concert 8 p.m. to midnight. Boat races will return again noon Saturday with Abbynormal performing 8 p.m. to midnight. Then more races start at 12:30 p.m. Sunday and a raffle drawing and awards ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. There will be a beer garden and food stands to go along with the free live entertainment. Go to https://www.facebook.com/depueboatraces for more information.

3. Leigh Nash: The lead vocalist in ‘90s pop band Sixpence None the Richer will return to the stage 7 p.m. Sunday at Heritage Harbor, 111 Great Loop East Dr., Ottawa for a special concert with Miles Nielsen and Kelly Steward. During the show, Heritage Harbor’s Buoy Bar will be open to serve beverages to concert attendees. Go to by tinyurl.com/NashHarbor for tickets. Must be 21 or older to attend. Seating is unassigned. Parking is in front of the venue, and people are asked not to block or park in residential driveways.

4. Summertubafest: The second annual all-tuba concert is scheduled 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Centennial Park in Peru. The event is sponsored by Music Suite 408, North Central Illinois Artworks and the city of Peru. Summertubafest is a free summer event created by Tuba Christmas as part of the Harvey Phillips Foundation, which originated in 1974 by creator and renowned tubist Harvey Phillips of Indiana University and is presented with permission from the Harvey Phillips Foundation.

5. Harry Potter Birthday Bash: Prairie Fox Books, 719 La Salle St., Ottawa, will host a Harry Potter Birthday Bash from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 29. This is the fifth year of the bookstore hosting a Harry Potter birthday party. This year’s bash will feature cake, potion demos, crafts, games, free snacks at Honeydukes and wands at Ollivenders to choose wizards. Go to https://www.facebook.com/prairiefoxbooks for more information on Saturday’s event.

Bonus: Drip Fest: The 2023 festival will feature two full days of entertainment Friday and Saturday with three stages of music, featuring multiple hip hop acts along with DJs at the Country Ranch, 199 N. 38th Road, Mendota. The festival runs noon to midnight each day. Ages 12 and older are $10 admission at the door. No ticket purchase is necessary. There will be on-site parking. Lil Wyte will headline Friday’s acts and Futuristic will headline Saturday’s performances. Each day will have more than 30 DJs and artists. Go to Dripmusicfest.com for a full lineup and more information on the event.

Would you like your event featured in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to The Times, NewsTribune or Bureau County Republican’s community calendar at starvedrockcountry.com/local-events/ where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature.