Area arts and entertainment briefs

CCAC to host artist reception for Lori Biwer-Stewart Feb. 7
The Charles City Arts Center will hold an artist reception for Lori Biwer-Stewart on Friday, Feb. 7. Biwer-Stewart, from Osage, will be the featured artist at the CCAC for the month of February. Admission is free and the event will be open to the public. The CCAC was closed for the month of January and will reopen on Feb. 1. Hours are 1-5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

CCHS Pops concert to be ‘Night At The Movies’
The Third Annual Charles City High School Choir Pops Concert, hosted by the CCHS Choir and the Charles City Fine Arts Century Club will be Tuesday, Feb. 18 at North Grand Auditorium.
This year the CCHS Choirs will present “A Night at the Movies” with a guest performance by the NIACC Singers and featuring some of CCHS’s finest instrumentalists.
General Admission will be $5 per person.

‘Play It Again Sam’ dinner to be Feb. 22
The theme for this year’s Valentine’s Day dinner at the Charles City Arts Center is “Play It Again, Sam.” The dinner, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22 starting at 6 p.m., will include a Moroccan-style entree and live piano music. The movie “Casablanca” will be shown after dinner. The three-course dinner will also include salad and a dessert. Patrons are encouraged to dress up in their best Bogey or Bergman outfit, although such attire is not required.

Spoken word events at CCAC
The Charles City Arts Center has scheduled Poetry Night spoken word events for Wednesday, Feb. 12 and Wednesday, March 11, starting at 7 p.m.
The CCAC hosts poetry reading nights on the second Wednesday of every month. The spoken-word events is are opportunities for individuals of all ages read their own poetry, the poetry of a favorite writer, or any other prose they feel needs to be heard. A wide variety of poetry styles have been shared by both seasoned scribes and rookie writers at previous evenings. Everyone is welcome.

‘Youth Gone Wild’ to make Charles City debut on Feb. 8
The rock band Youth Gone Wild will make its first appearance in Charles City at Hot Shots Billiards on Saturday, Feb. 8 starting at 9 p.m.
Youth Gone Wild is a four-piece heavy metal/hard rock band from Waterloo that received first place at Iowa’s Battle of the Bands in 2017 and third place in 2015. Band members include Kaden Karns (vocals, guitar), John Fowler (lead guitar), Derek Powers (drums) and Jackson Toma (bass). The band lists Pantera, Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Skid Row, Drowning Pool and Black Sabbath as influences.

Ruthless Ruth returns to Saint Charles Brewing Feb. 1
The live music of Ruthless Ruth will be presented at Saint Charles Brewing in Charles City, starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Ruthless Ruth is a high-energy singer-songwriter born and raised in Mason City. Her blends of folk, pop, and country explore love, heartbreak, and experiences growing up along the Winnebago River. She covers songs from smooth R & B to rockabilly country.

Comedy show at NIACC Saturday
“The Good Humor Men 2,” a comedy show featuring stand-up comics Pete Lee, Keith Alberstadt and Andy Hendrickson, will be presented at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Pete Lee (The Tonight Show and Comedy Central) returns with comics Keith Alberstadt (The Late Show and Last Comic Standing), and Andy Hendrickson (The Late Show with David Letterman) for an evening packed with punchlines, devilishly clever writing, and hair-trigger laughs.
For more information, call 641-422-4188 or look online at niacc.edu/boxoffice or sammymillercongregation.com.

Classical music at Gallagher Bluedorn Sunday
“Mozart, Verdi & Friends” will be presented at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. UNI Opera will join forces with the Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Rebecca Burkhardt, as well as the Concert Chorale and UNI Singers, under the direction of Amy Kotsonis. Alumni, student and faculty performers will be featured in this program highlighting opera choruses and great arias. Visit http://www.gbpac.com for more information.