Datebook

As Route 66 turns 100, a new book is expanding the story of the Mother Road by focusing on people often left out of its history. The author will visit Bloomington-Normal on May 2.

The orchestra's dual presence in Bloomington-Normal and Springfield, plus the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road in 2026, present a perfect opportunity to debut Michelle Isaac's 'Reverie on the Mother Road.'

With support from a Healing Illinois grant, the Bloomington-Normal-based opera company is producing several months of programing centering Black composers and stories in the genre.

The actor and comedian Bob Odenkirk will visit Normal next week for a preview screening of his new film "Normal," and yes, it's happening at the Normal Theater. Here's what we know about the availability of tickets day-of at the theater's box office.

Historian Barry McNealy teaches high school history and works with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. He'll give a public talk at Eureka College on March 27.

The Bloomington-based singer-songwriter has produced his first record with a label—and the first with his touring band, the Fieldnotes. They'll play the Castle Theatre on March 28.

The Tony Award-winning musical Fun Home tells the story of graphic novelist Alison Bechdel's testing time of writing her autobiography. The Community Players Theatre gives the musical's Bloomington-Normal debut this weekend at the Normal Community Activity Center.

Mummy Cass and his band mates make up the all-original anonymous funk band called Here Come the Mummies. 5,000 years ago, they were in sarcophagi, but now they're playing at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

Nancy Benedict of Pontiac served in the Marine Corps from 1975-1978. She died last fall while enrolled in CreatiVets. Her classmates worked together to finish the pottery she'd started and dedicated their exhibition to her memory.

The Chicago-based band will play tracks from its 2024 album 'Conversance' for a first-ever appearance in Bloomington. But Greene has been here before.