Meskwaki Country Music Jam
Saturday, July 9
Country music star Travis Tritt will light up the Meskwaki Outdoor Arena as part of the venue’s Country Music Jam. Others on the bill are Gary Allan, Love & Theft and Jason Jones. When Tritt sang “I’m Gonna Be Somebody,” he was right. He was Billboard’s Top New Artist in 1990, has won two Grammys and several County Music Association awards. Between 1990 and 2000 he topped the charts with “Help Me Hold On,”“Anymore,”“Can I Trust You with My Heart,”“Foolish Pride”and “Best of Intentions.” His style whips up a raucous blend of Southern fried rock and country, tinged with soul. Listen real hard, and you’ll hear a bit of his honky-tonk history, too.
Meskwaki Country Music Jam
4 p.m. Saturday (7/9), Meskwaki Outdoor Arena, casino complex, 1504 305th St., Tama; $20 general admission, $45 floor, at Club Meskwaki, www.meskwaki.com or 1-(800) 728-4263, Ext. 2230
The Queen of Bingo
Today through July 24
The queen is back on her throne, ready to yell “bingo!” The Old Creamery Theatre is bringing back a hit from 2009, when Sis and Babe drive each other crazy once again in “The Queen of Bingo.” The show explores the worlds of bingo, family ties, diet crazes, widowhood, hot flashes and winning. The intimate black box theater just seats 80, so don’t dillydally getting tickets, or you might end up with a blackout instead of a jackpot.
The Queen of Bingo
Today (7/7) through July 24, Old Creamery Theatre’s Studio Stage, elementary school complex, 3023 220th Trl., Middle Amana; 3 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; $27 adults, $17.50 students, 1-(800) 35 AMANA, (319) 622-6194 or www.oldcreamery.com/ticketWin.php
Harness racing
Monday, July 11
Can’t make it to Kentucky Downs or Royal Ascot? Don’t sulk. The Linn County Fair in Central City is harnessing a different kind of horsepower for racing ’round the dirt track Monday night. Harness racers hitch their two-wheeled sulkies to four-legged horses to trot toward the finish line, capping nearly a week’s worth of grandstand entertainment. Before that, rock fans can drool over Saliva at 7 p.m. tonight (7/7); country fans can hear John Anderson at 7 p.m. Friday; or catch draft horses, trucks and tractors pulling their weight or chuck wagons and Hell Drivers running their races over the weekend. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out all the other fun at the fair.
Harness racing
6:30 p.m. Monday (7/11), Linn County Fair Grandstand, Central City; $7 adults, $5 ages 6 to 12, free ages 5 and under, http://thelinncountyfair.com/gs-ticket-info.html