Forge music festival, Chick Thing market and farm-inspired artwork among the list of Sauk Valley activities

The following is a list of current events and upcoming activities going on in the Sauk Valley. Don’t forget to check out 5 Things To Do for other opportunities.

Do you have information on an upcoming event or attraction? Be sure to let us know. Submit information for Sauk Valley Media’s weekly calendar to news@saukvalley.com. Include a contact person and phone number.

This Week

Live musical performances include:

— Walton Fest, Sept. 17, Walton: Jimmy Henkel Experience, 11 a.m., Nine Thirty Standard, 1 p.m., Marques Morel and the Midnight Wind, 3 p.m., The Couch Coins, 5:30 p.m., Slick Trigger, 8 p.m.

— Forge Music Fest, 1 p.m. Sept 18, Chaplin Creek Village, Franklin Grove, 1 p.m., Just 4 Fun Band, Time Bandits

Last weekend. The Timber Lake Playhouse’s “Hank Williams: Lost Highway” has shows through Sunday in the closing weekend for the production.

Celebrate farm culture. The opening reception of the Farms and Barns art exhibit will be 6 p.m. Sept. 16 at The Next Picture Show, 113 W. First St., Dixon. Entrant judging is by marketing professional Jayne Rose. Music provided by Wellstrung Band. The exhibit celebrates depictions in any artistic medium, from painting to sculpture, old buildings, wide-open pastures, farm equipment, livestock, creeks and streams. It runs through Oct. 22.

Art gallery opens. Artists Bev Garcia and Jan Harvey will open Home Studios on 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 291 Route 2 Hill Drive, Rock River Estates, Dixon.

Outdoor market. The Chick Thing Outdoor Flea Market will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Vintage Chicks and Feed, 700 Route 72 East in Leaf River. There will be more than 25 vendors selling handcrafted and vintage items, including farm primitives, barn wood, rustic repurposed items, jewelry, painted furniture, honey, candles and lotions. Trinity Youth Group will be providing coffee and doughnuts.

Real Metal Music. Forge Music Fest, a fundraiser for the Franklin Grove Area Historical Society, will be 1 p.m. Sunday at Chaplin Creek Village, 1715 Whitney Road, Franklin Grove. Admission is $6. Food sales will benefit Shriner’s Children Hospital. Music by Just 4 Fun Band and Time Bandits.

Love them whitewalls. The Sublette Country Car Show will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday along Route 52 in Sublette. A Kaiser-Frazer, Willys-Overland, Hudson and Nash will be featured. All makes of cars, trucks, tractors and motorcycles are welcome. No judging. A food stand benefits the 4-H.

Celebrate public servants. Carroll County Courthouse Community Day is a chance to meet county employees in a family-oriented event 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Mount Carroll. Emergency vehicle demonstrations, games and food on the schedule.

Vino flows. Trailside General Store and Motel and Candlelight Inn Restaurant in Lake Carroll will have a Trailside Wine Pairing dinner, 6 p.m. Saturday. Features four gourmet courses, music by Better Late Than Never and wine introductions by Southern Grazier. Costs $70 per person. Call 815-493-8484.

Quilt preservation. Caring for Your Quilts: Museum Methods on a Household Budget will be presented by Donna Langford of Rockford 7 p.m. Monday at Forreston Grove Church, 7246 Freeport Road, Forreston. Langford has been a museum curator for 15 years and a quilter for two decades with a masters degree in textiles from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Visitor fee is $5 to attend this or any meeting of the Country Crossroads Quilt Guild. For more information call 815-238-1342 or 815-297-2700.

Water, road and trial. Taming of the Slough, a kayak-mountain bike-run triathlon will be 8 p.m. Sunday at Sylvan Island in Moline. Race starts at Bass Street YMCA. Three-person teams can also compete in the events relay style.

Upcoming

Books on First, 202 W. First St., Dixon.

Lowell Harp and Friends, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 24

Musical ImPACT Concert, Polo Area Community Theater

Duets and Trios, 7 p.m. Oct 15-16

Rosbrook Studio Second Saturday Open Mic, signup at 6 p.m., performances 7 to 11 p.m., 107 S. Peoria Ave., Dixon. $3 suggested donation.

American Legion Post 902, 712 Fourth Ave., Rock Falls.

Jam Session, 7 p.m. every Thursday.

Dixon Municipal Band

Christmas Concert, 7 p.m., tba.

Winning Wheels Summer Concert Series, Eclipse Square, Prophetstown

To be announced, 5 p.m., Sept. 23

To be announced, 5 p.m., Oct. 28

Blues in the Woods Bluesfest, 3 p.m. May 21, Timber Lake Playhouse, Mount Carroll

Kevin Burt, 3 p.m., Birddog Blues Band, 5 p.m., Russ Green Band, 7 p.m.

Theater productions

Historic Dixon Theatre

Tickets are on sale for the following shows at Historic Dixon Theatre, 114 S. Galena Ave. Go to dixontheatre.com/events/ for tickets or more information.

Menopause the Musical, Sept. 28-29.

Forever Young, Oct. 7.

ABBA Mania, Oct. 16.

Paul Childers, Oct. 22.

Yesterday: A Beatles Tribute Endorsed by Sir Paul McCartney, Nov. 5.

Annie Jr., Nov. 18-19.

Cinderella (A community theater production), Dec. 9-11.

The Prophecy Show: The Music of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dec. 30.

Motor City: the Motown Revue, Jan. 14.

Still Collins, Jan. 28.

Shanghai Circus, Feb. 24.

Doug Allen Nash, March 11.

Comedian Yakov Smirnoff, March 24.

Head East, April 7.

Adventures of Tortoise and the Hair Next Generation, April 23, 2023

The Machine: The Music of Pink Floyd, April 28, 2023

Under the Street Lamp, May 13, 2023

Illusionist Mike Super, May 27, 2023

Dixon Stage Left, 306 W First St, Dixon

Season Gala, 7 p.m., Sept. 17

Peter and the Starcatcher, September 23-24, 29-30, Oct, 1, 6-7-8.

Rendezvous Arts, Corky Siegel blues harmonica, Randy Sabien, violin, Ken Reif, visual artist, 5:30 p.m., Oct. 12

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9-10, 2 p.m. Dec. 10-11

Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mount Carroll.

Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Sept. 8-18

Midnight Rider Allman Brothers Tribute, Sept. 24

Defending the Caveman, Sept. 29-Oct. 9

Hocus Pocus, Oct. 15

Detroit Rock City Kiss Tribute Show, Oct. 22

The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Oct. 29

The Blooze Brothers, Nov. 5

Boy Band Night, Nov. 12

Britbeat Beatles Tribute, Nov. 19

Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings, Dec. 1-11

Rock River Jazz Band, May 7

Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos, May 14

The Style Catz with the Cocoloco Band, May 19

Blues in the Woods Bluesfest, May 21

White Pines Dinner Theatre, 6712 W. Pines Road, Mount Morris

Getting Better with Age, Sept. 13-15

The Rock n Roll Crooner Quenton Flagg, Sept. 21

Quentin Flagg’s Inspirational Gospel and Country, Sept. 22

I Gotta Be Me starring Denny Diamond, Oct. 5-6

Rod Stewart Tribute, Oct. 18

Mirror of Mathis, Oct. 19-20

Down to the Funny Bones, Nov. 2-3

Andrew and His Sisters: A WWII Musical Tribute, Nov. 9-10

Branson on the Road, Christmas Style, Nov. 29-Dec. 1

Scrooge the Comedy, Dec. 3-17

Polo Community Theater

Romeo and Juliet, Sept. 23-25, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Polo Town Hall, 115 S. Franklin Ave., Polo

A Candle in the Window, tba

Art exhibits

The Next Picture Show, 113 W. First St., Dixon.

Farms and Barns exhibit, opens Saturday and runs through Oct. 22. Opening reception 6 p.m. on Sept. 16.

Black and White exhibit through Sept. 30, KSB Hospital’s Commerce Towers.

Markets

Twin City Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, year-round indoors and out; 106 Avenue A in Sterling, 815-626-8610, twincitycarmersmarket.com and Facebook.

Dixon Park District Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to noon Wednesdays through Oct. 26 and 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Oct. 29, Haymarket Square, 513 W. Second St., Dixon.

Rock Falls Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday and Saturday, 400 W Second St., Rock Falls, through October.

Chana Route 64 Auction Barn Inc. auction, 10 a.m. (first and third) Sunday; flea market, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (second and fourth) Saturday and Sunday at 620 S. Stone Hill Road. Find Chana Auction Barn on Facebook or call 815-830-3898 for more information. Contact Market Manager Robin at 815-973-0728 for details.

Mount Carroll Farmer’s Market, 8 a.m. to noon, each Saturday through Oct. 29.

BASIC Market, 514 13th Ave., Fulton, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays through October.

Museums, exhibits and attractions

Loveland History Museum, 9 a.m. -2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Loveland Community House, 513 W. Second St., Dixon; free.

Ingersoll Wetlands Learning Center at Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7071 Riverview Road, Thomson. Call 815-273-2732.

Reagan Boyhood Home, 810 S Hennepin Ave, Dixon, March 29 to Dec. 17, is open for tours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with the last tour leaving at 3 p.m.

Northwest Territory Historic Center, 205 West Fifth St. Dixon, open 9 a.m - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Ronald Reagan Birthplace/Museum, 111 Main Street, Tampico., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday (Except Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day). 815-622-8705.

Byron Museum of History, Wednesday-Saturday 10:00 to 3:00, located at 110 North Union Street, Byron.

Roberts Armory World War II Museum, Route 251 and Intermodal Drive, Rochelle. Open Nov. 6 in honor of Veterans Day or by appointment.

Chaplin Creek Village, full-scale historical restoration project depicting a prairie settlement typical of the middle 19th century, 1715 Whitney Road, Franklin Grove.

Special interest

Trivia Night, 6 p.m. Oct. 15, Franklin Grist Mill, 1893 Twist Road, Franklin Grove

Fitness on the Rock, 5:30 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursday, 7:30 a.m. Saturdays, through October, RB&W Park, Rock Falls.

Author visits. Books on First, 202 W. First St., Dixon. Judy Carmichaels’ Great Inspirations 22 years of Jazz Inspired on NPR, noon, Oct. 13. Kelly Flanagans’ The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell, 11 a.m. Oct. 22.

Alcoholics Anonymous for Carroll, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside Counties. 1-800-452-7990. www.aa-nia.org.

Dixon Coin Club, 7 p.m., first Tuesday, American Legion, 1120 W. First St., Dixon.

Country Crossroads Quilt Guild, 7 p.m. third Monday, Forreston Grove Church, 7246 Freeport Road; Forreston.

Library programs

Sterling Public Library. Preschool story time, 10 a.m. Mondays, 10 a.m. second Saturday. Roleplaying Game Club-Dungeons and Dragons, 3:30 p.m. Mondays starting Aug. 29. Lego Club 10 a.m. first and third Saturday. Used book sale 9 a.m. Sept 24.

Dixon Public Library. Preschool storytime, ages 3-5, 10 a.m. Tuesdays starting Sept. 6. Baby-toddler storytime, ages 18 months-3, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., Wednesdays starting Sept. 7. Computer coding club, every other Thursday starting Sept. 15, K-1, 2:45, Grades 2-3, 3:30, Grades 4-5, 4:15. September Take and Make craft DIY Pom-pom coaster. Petting zoo, 2:30 p.m. Sept. 22. Halloween, 2:30 p.m. Oct. 20. DINO-vember, 2:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Holiday Fun, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 15.

Rock Falls Public Library. Book clubs, 6:30 p.m. last Tuesday of month, 10 a.m. first Thursday of month. Morning Makers, 10 a.m. Sept. 16. Lego Builders, 3:45 p.m. Sept. 19.

Information on events and attractions for Sauk Valley Media’s weekly calendar should be submitted to news@saukvalley.com. Include a contact person and phone number.