By Joe Jennison

I was involved in a show last week that I wanted to tell you about.

"Stars of Tomorrow" is a performance event through Brucemore’s Cabaret in the Courtyard series that gives an opportunity for five up-and-coming young singers to perform for a chance to win $2,000.

The show itself was an extremely rewarding experience: 18 show-stopping numbers performed each of three nights by an extremely talented group of young people, all of whom were graduates of Corridor-area high schools. I was very impressed with the performers and am confident that all five young artists will indeed go on to lead successful lives. I know this because no matter what happens to Chase Garrett, Jenny Harrison, Adam Hoffman, Meredith Taylor and Amy Willett in their arts careers, their experience and education in the arts will continue to fulfill and enrich their lives long after the memory of this event fades.

I see this in my work every day. A background in the performing arts gives our young people courage and confidence and helps to build teamwork skills; a background in the visual arts offers our young people creativity, independence and problem-solving skills. And all of us involved in the arts learn to think out of the box and to look beyond conventional wisdom for answers to difficult problems.

It is obvious to me that the arts serve as a critical component to a complete education, but also, the arts have been proven to increase student academic achievement. According to studies gathered by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in the U.S., young people who consistently participate in comprehensive, sequential, and rigorous arts programs are:

-- 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement

-- 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools

-- 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair

-- 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance

-- 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

For many of America's youth, public schools serve as the major provider of formalized arts instruction. Therefore, it is critical that the arts maintain their status as a core academic subject within a school district's educational mission and that they are adequately funded.

Find out how you more about the importance of a solid arts education here: www.americansforthearts.org

Riders in the Sky returns to the area Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City. $25. Reservations and information are available through (319) 688-2653.

Sample some of Iowa's best brews at the Festival of Iowa Beers, at Millstream Brewing Company, 835 48th Ave., Amana, on Sunday, Sept. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m. Iowa's craftbreweries and homebrew clubs plan to assemble for this tasting event. $14. More information is available through (319) 622-7622.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, 110 Parkside Drive, West Branch, offers Prairie Heritage Day Monday, Sept. 7, on the site, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Also, on Monday, Sept. 7, from 1 to 5 p.m., the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Museum and the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site will celebrate Laura Ingalls Wilder with programs at the museum. Both events are free, however $6 admission if you wish to see the museum exhibits. More information is available through (319) 643-5301.

The Joffrey Ballet and the UI Symphony Orchestra will offer a benefit performance for both Hancher and the UI School of Music on Friday, Sept. 11, at 8 p.m., at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines. Tickets range from $50 to $250. Also this month, check out the Imani Winds with Stefon Harris Friday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at City High School, 1900 Morningside Drive, Iowa City. $10 to $28. Reservations and information for both events are available through (800) HANCHER.

The Cedar Rapids Symphony – Orchestra Iowa offers "Burana at Brucemore," an outdoor concert that will include a performance of Carmina Burana Sunday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m., at Brucemore National Trust Historic Site, 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids. Also in September is "Napoleon Complex," a program that will include The Eroica or "heroic" Symphony of Beethoven. See "Napoleon Complex" either Saturday, Sept. 26, at 8 p.m. at Sinclair Auditorium, on the Coe College campus, Cedar Rapids; or Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. at West High School, 2901 Melrose Ave., Iowa City. Reservations and information for both concerts is available through (319) 366-8203.

Got kids? Then, you need to take them to the Iowa Children’s Museum’s annual "Move It Dig It Do It" event, taking place Sunday, Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, 4265 Oak Crest Hill Road, Iowa City. This is your kid’s chance to put on his or her construction hat and climb aboard a skid loader, bulldozer, combine or tractor. Big fun. $6 per person. Children 3 and under, free. More information is available through (319) 625-6255.

The Iowa Theatre Artists Company, 4709 220th Trail, Amana, offers "Foxfire" beginning Thursday, Sept. 17, at 1:30 p.m., and running Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. through Sunday, Oct. 18. The play is about a woman trying to save her Appalachian farm. $25. Reservations and information are available through (319) 622-3222.

The Old Creamery Theatre Company, 39 38th Ave., Amana, is offering "Don’t Hug Me," a "Minnesota love story with singin and stuff that will have you laughing till the spring thaw." See the musical beginning Thursday, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m. and playing Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 3 p.m.; and Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through Oct. 11. $26.50. Reservations and information are available through (800) 35-AMANA.

Coralville’s "Park It At The Movies" event continues Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. with the outdoor showing of "Iron Man" in ST Morrison Park, 1506 8th St., Coralville. Free. More information is available through (319) 248-1750.Music in the MUD continues at the Campbell-Steele Gallery, 1064 7th Ave., Marion, Saturday, Sept. 19, from 6 to 10 p.m. with the John Schultz Trio. The gallery will also offer a wine and beer bar and art exhibits. $5 cover. More information is available through (319) 373-9211.

The Indian Creek Nature Center, 6665 Otis Road SE, Cedar Rapids, offers its annual Honey Fest Sunday, Sept. 20, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will include bee crafts and games, honey tastings, music and demonstrations including a beekeeper who will don a "beard" of live bees. $2. More information is available through (319) 362-0664.

The U.S. Cellular Center, 370 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids, will host the new season of the Community Concert Series beginning in September with two touring productions. See Papa Duke (Master violinist Vasyl Popadiuk), a "genre-defying, roof-raising celebration" of Slavic and Gypsy music on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m.; and see The Barbary Coast Dixieland Band, Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 p.m. $10, $5 for students. Reservations and information are available through (319) 540-2301.

The Iowa City Community Theatre will produce "Camelot" this year at The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24 through 26, at 7:30 p.m.; or Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. $15. Reservations and information are available through (319) 688-2653.

The Kalona Fall Fest will take place Friday, Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kalona Historical Village, 715 D. Ave., Kalona. This is a great event that will include live demonstrations, homemade food, hand crafted arts and crafts, kids activities, and live music. $5. More information is available through (319) 656-2519.