The show follows Buddy, a young orphan, who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. Buddy is raised as an elf, unaware that he is actually a human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth.

The fourth offering in Festival 56′s summer season, “Footloose,” will host performances starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 14, and run through Saturday, July 22, at the Grace Theater, 316 S. Main St., Princeton.

The Putnam County Community Theatre, with special arrangement from Music Theatre International, will present “Seussical” at 7 p.m. on July 14, 15, 21, 22 and at 2 p.m. on July 23 at Putnam County High School, 402 E. Silverspoon Ave. in Granville.

River Valley Players will present “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10 and a special 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, June 11 at 1301 Second St. in Henry.

River Valley Players will open its 2023 season with “9 to 5: The Musical” with five select performances from May 4-7. The shows will be performed at St. John XXIII Community Center, 1301 Second St. in Henry.

River Valley Players will open its 2023 season with ‘9 to 5: The Musical’ with five select performances from May 4-7. The shows will be performed at St. John XXIII Community Center, 1301 Second St. in Henry.

Auditions for the performance will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 and 2 p.m. on Jan. 29 at St. John’s Community Center, located at 1301 Second Street in Henry. Callbacks will be announced after auditions are complete.

The New Irving Berlin Musical will celebrate an entire year’s worth of holidays in just a short couple of hours as audiences of all ages look to be captivated by this glittering show, featuring Irving Berlin’s greatest hit songs.

BBQ-N-Blues, Jazz'n the Street, Homestead Festival and more are among the activities to do in the Illinois Valley this upcoming weekend.