Entertainment

The lineup has been set for the annual Jazz and Blues Festival in Cherokee, to be held Friday and Saturday, January 18 and 19. Tickets are $15 for Friday or Saturday’s Pub Crawl in advance or $20 at the door, or $25 in advance only for a combination ticket to both crawls. Saturday’s Jam Session is $10, with students admitted free. For advance tickets, contact the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce or see www.cherokeejazzbluesfestival...

Spencer Community Theatre welcomes audiences to the second show of its 59th anniversary season, “Almost, Maine.” Almost, Maine, is a place that’s so far north, it’s almost not in the United States. It’s almost in Canada. And it’s not quite a town because its residents never got around to getting organized, so it almost doesn’t exist. ...

Mace Hathaway and Friends will be performing New Year’s Eve at Byron’s in Pomeroy. Showtime is 8 p.m. on Monday, December 31. The singer/songwriter/multiinstrumentalist and Council Bluffs native offers a soulful voice, energetic delivery and lyrics that touch the listener. He has written over 200 Americana, folk, bluegrass and country songs...

The Marathon Public Library will host a music event on Thursday, Dec. 20. Christmas duets on clarinet will be performed by Kacie Cox and Stephen Bray, Music Education and Performance majors at the University of South Dakota. Coffee and cookies will be provided...

Chicago tribute band Transit Authority will perform January 25 at the 39th Annual Winter Games weekend. Fans will want to get their tickets early for this 7:30 p.m. show at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji, before they sell out. Tickets are available at box-office.diamondticketing.com...

The weight of legacy hangs heavily over “Creed II.” Not just for most of the characters, who must come to grips with their own family histories. But also for the filmmakers, tasked with making a sequel to a successful spin-off of a beloved franchise. It would put any film on the ropes. Not this one...

Next up in the performing arts series at the Rosemary Clausen Center in Holstein is alternative country group Farewell Angelina, Saturday, January 26. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. See http://rosemaryclausencenter.com or call 712-368-4849 for ticket availability...

The Broadway hit based on the critically-acclaimed Academy Award® winning film, Finding Neverland will be performed in northwest Iowa for the first time December 26, 7:30 p.m. at the Orheum Theatre in Sioux City. The production tells the incredible story behind one of the world’s most beloved characters: Peter Pan. ...

A one-artist show, Naomi Friend: Heirlooms will be featured at the Lakes Art Center in Okoboji in January, with an opening reception Thursday, January 10, 5-7 p.m. Naomi Friend explores the intersection of our urban, rural, and wild spaces through her art making. ...

The Buena Vista University (BVU) Concert Band, under the direction of Assistant Professor of Music Jerry Bertrand, will present its annual holiday concert on Sunday, Dec 9 at 3 p.m. in Schaller Memorial Chapel on the BVU campus. The program will open with “Armida Overture,” written in 1783 by Franz Joseph Haydn. ...

Rock out the old year with Ball N Chain, returning to Innspiration Wines & Vines, Friday, December 28. The Storm Lake husband-and-wife duo of Mick Polich and Mary Beth Andrews offer a wide range of musical styles.

Students from the Buena Vista University January Interim class “How to Become a Recording Star” will take the stage for a performance in Schaller Memorial Chapel, Tuesday, January 22. Showtime is 7 p.m. The concert is the culmination of their month-long study of song writing, music theory, and trends in the music industry...

The Cherokee Young Professionals will host a Christmas Trivia Night tonight, Friday, December 7 at the Gathering Place in Cherokee. An Ugly Sweater Party begins at 7 p.m, with the trivia contest starting at 8:30 p.m. Teams of up to four people can pre-register at jot form.com, or register at the show. The event is open to everyone, or just come to watch...

The 2nd annual Guitars and Gifts country music concert will help Upper Des Moines Opportunity to put a smile on every child’s face this holiday season. Nashville hit maker, Jordan Davis will be headlining with CJ Solar, and Manson’s Scott Kirkhart kicking things off...

In need of a jolt of holiday joy? Or a comforting spot of romance or silliness or spirituality? Television has you covered. There are classic old movies (“It’s a Wonderful Life”) and a sleigh full of new wannabes; Christmas carols galore; the majesty of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; and, for New Year’s Eve homebodies, Manhattan’s Times Square ball drop among the possibilities...

In a battle between the internet and John C. Reilly, who among us wouldn’t root for the latter? Leave us IMDb.com and a few podcasts, John, but by all means, go smashy-smashy with the rest. Having liberated arcade game characters from their rigidly ordained roles in 2012s “Wreck-it Ralph,” its sequel, “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” sends our charmingly lopsided duo — the hulking, big-fisted Ralph (Reilly) and the glitchy pipsqueak candy-colored racer Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) — into that expansive netherworld where clickbait lurks and pop-ups proliferate.. ...

Popular area country/rock cover band LD3 returns to Innspiration Wines & Vines at Linn Grove, Friday, December 14. The band, with members from Spencer and Manson areas, has grown from a family trio that has been playing together since 1968, to a core group of six performers with many guest musicians. Second generation performer Duane “Deacon” Davis leads the group today...

The 2nd annual Guitars and Gifts is a country music concert, that with the help of Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc., will put a smile on every child’s face this holiday season. Nashville hit maker, Jordan Davis will be headlining with CJ Solar and Manson’s Scott Kirkhart kicking things off...

Neil Anders will be featured in a free concert at Lake Avenue Lounge as part of the Miracle on Lake Avenue celebration in Storm Lake December 6. Neil will be performing from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The show is open to all ages. The Lake City singer/guitarist/songwriter has a wide repertoire, ranging from classic rock and country to newer folk and alternative/indie...

Children’s favorite “Peppa Pig Live” will be on stage at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City this weekend, Saturday, December 1, 4 p.m. In the show, themed “Peppa Pig’s Surprise,” it’s a lovely day and Peppa is playing outside with her friends. ...

Tickets go on sale today for a just-announced show with 1980s supergroup Styx and comedy icon Larry the Cable Guy, March 28 at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. Billed as “Laugh. Rock. Seriously,” pop’s blue-collar men are teaming up with a blue-collar comedian...

The Fort Dodge Area Symphony is preparing its seasonal tribute to the holidays, to be held Sunday, December 2, 3 p.m. at the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium. The orchestra will perform familiar sounds of the season in this family friendly concert. From classic tunes O Tannenbaum and Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers with some thrilling audience favorites in between, the concert will conclude with Respighi’s crowd-pleasing finale from Pines of Rome. Tickets at the door will be $10...

Nemaha - The Crooners will present their annual Christmas concert on Sunday, December 16 at 2 p.m.. The concert will be presented at the Nemaha United Methodist Church, 120 4th Avenue N in Nemaha. The choir will be singing “The Glory of Christmas” by Lloyd Larson...

Join Buena Vista University’s Concert Choir at Lakeside Presbyterian Church for a holiday concert, under the direction of Dr. Merrin Guice. The concert will feature songs and soloists, and is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. Showtime is Saturday, December 1, 7:30 p.m...

Ever notice how winter in movies looks a lot better than living in wintertime really is? Actors stand in the snow for lengthy dialogue, and yet you never see their breath? In Iowa, they’d be in the emergency room with hypothermia. Winter is all beautiful and etherial and bursting with emotion - or at least that’s how studios in southern California imagine it - as opposed to getting frostbite shoveling dirty snow out of your driveway for the umpteenth time, and ending up falling on your butt...

Country music icon Dwight Yoakam is coming to northwest Iowa, with one show Friday, January 18, 8 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City. Country radio listeners will know the artist for signature hits including “Ain’t That Lonely Yet,” “Streets of Bakersfield,” “Honky Tonk Man,” “Guitars, Cadillacs,” “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere,” and “Fast As You.”...

Next in the series of Swim Up Movies at King’s Pointe Indoor Waterpark is “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” - the 2000 live action version starring funnyman Jim Carrey and based on the classic Dr. Seuss tale. Showtime is Sunday, Dec. 9, 10 a.m. Admission to the waterpark includes the movie...

The restored historic Holstein State Theatre will host the Polar Express Pajama Party, Sunday, December 9, 1-3 p.m. Ticket information will be shared soon, watch the theater’s website and Facebook page for details. Join in a wintry adventure aboard The Polar Express, where pajamas are encouraged and hot cocoa is mandatory! The main attraction will feature a showing of the popular holiday adventure classic: a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express. ...