By Diana Nollen/ SourceMedia Group

Sand in the City

Bank of the West employee Trisha Brink of Cedar Rapids works with other members of her team on a sand sculpture during the 2010 Sand in the City festival in downtown Iowa City. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)

Aug. 12 to 14, 2011

Downtown Iowa City will be tons of fun this weekend, thanks to 200 tons of sand. In just seven hours Friday, 13 teams will shape, mold and sculpt their sand piles into bookish works of art, honoring Iowa City’s UNESCO City of Literature designation and the bookmark sculptures posted throughout the area. In keeping with the festival’s family-friendly theme, the sculptures will reflect scenes from children’s stories and books. But that’s not all the fun in the sun. This festival also features a kids’ sand pit, music by the FunkDaddies on Friday night, food and art vendors, more music and entertainment all weekend, and the family film “Lilo and Stitch” after dark Saturday in front of Macbride Hall. This is one event we guarantee you’ll dig.

Sand in the City: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday (8/12), 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday (8/13), 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday (8/14), downtown Iowa City; free admission; www.summerofthearts.org/

‘Woody Guthrie’s American Song’

Aug. 12 to 28, 2011

The voice that told us “this land is your land, this land is my land” lives on through a theatrical piece making its Iowa debut Friday night in Amana. Local actors and musicians will bring the folk hero to life through word and song, beginning in his home state of Oklahoma, to walking a ribbon of highway during the Dust Bowl Days, then from the redwood forests to the New York island. It’s a snapshot of history made for you and me.

“Woody Guthrie’s American Song”: Aug. 12 to 28, Iowa Theatre Artists Company, 4709 220th Trl., Amana; 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 1:30 p.m. Sundays; $20 adults (opening night $18), $10 students at (319) 622-3222; www.iowatheatreartists.org

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

Aug. 18, 2011

 The heat is on for Pat Benatar’s first trip to Dubuque. General admission tickets are all that’s left for next Thursday night’s hard rockin’ roll down memory lane. She’s racked up an impressive string of platinum and gold records, fueled by such hits as “Love is a Battlefield,” “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Heartbreaker,” “Shadows of the Night” and “Promises in the Dark.” Joining her onstage is her husband, Neil Giraldo. A songwriter and lead guitarist, he also produced all of Benatar’s albums. Sounds like his best shot was right on target. 

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo: 8 p.m. Aug. 18, Mississippi Moon Bar, Diamond Jo Casino, 301 Bell St., Dubuque; $35 to $95 ages 21 and over, (563) 690-4758 or http://dubuquetickets.diamondjo.com

‘Suds: The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera’

"Suds: The Rocking€™ '60s Musical Soap Oper," stars (back, from left) Jessica Bradish of Des Moines, Deborah Kennedy of East Amana and (center, seated) Molly Hammer of Kansas City, Mo. The Old Creamery Theatre's production runs Aug. 4 to Sept. 11, 2011, on the Main Stage in Amana. (Shelley Klimes/Old Creamery Theatre photo)

Through Sept. 11, 2011

Take a spin through the ’60s world of girl groups, heavenly harmonies and boyfriend woes as the Old Creamery turns the tide with “Suds.” This frothy bit of fluff will have you laughing one minute and sighing the next as Cindy lives through the worst birthday on record. Her frown turns upside-down with a boost from helpful clients at her wash-o-rama. Molly Hammer, who packed the houses there as Patsy Cline, is back, sharing the spotlight with three other actors who will knock your socks off. (Of course afterward, you might not able to find a matching pair. Be sure to check the laundry’s lost-and-found.)

“Suds: The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera”: Through Sept. 11, Old Creamery Theatre, 39 38th Ave., Amana; 3 p.m. Wednesday, Thursdays and Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, $27 adults, $17.50 students, 1-(800) 35-AMANA or www.oldcreamery.com