The Local Scene: A musical, comedy night and photography show set in the Illinois Valley

Here are five things to do this weekend in La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties:

1. “Falsettos” at Stage 212: Stage 212 in La Salle will return to the stage with its offseason 2024 rendition of “Falsettos” by William Finn and James Lapine, a hilarious, heartbreaking and utterly unique musical about family, relationships, bar mitzvahs, baseball and AIDS. The production opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday at the theater, 700 First St., under the direction of Reid Tomasson. To buy tickets, visit stage212.org or call the box office at 815-224-3025 and leave a message.

2. Starved Rock Photography Show: A total of 97 photographs were entered into this year’s annual Starved Rock Photography Show at the Starved Rock Visitor Center. The free show is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Saturday. This year’s categories include North American landscapes, parks and habitats; bodies of water; mammals; flowers and plants; trees, lichen and fungi; birds; insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians; Illinois parks, preserves and habitats; and waterfalls and icefalls.

3. Comedy Night: The Illinois Valley Super Bowl, 4242 Mahoney Drive, Peru, will host a comedy night Saturday with a pair of headliners in Jeffrey Jena and Bill Brady, and Mike Stricker serving as emcee. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8. Tickets are $20. Jena is one of the top corporate and cruise comedians. His 33 years of live performance experience and more than 40 national television shows – both as an actor and comedian – give him the ability to work for any audience. Brady’s comedic style has been enjoyed by his audiences for more than 37 years. Specializing in an interactive show, he excels at ad-lib situations, and his warmth, humor and entertaining style build a solid rapport with his audiences.

4. Parkrun at Heritage Harbor: Join Heritage Harbor in Ottawa for parkrun at 9 a.m. Saturday on the harbor walk in front of Red Dog, 111 Harbor View Drive. The parkrun is a free, weekly timed 5K. If you have not registered for parkrun, go to www.parkrun.us/register to sign up before participating. For information on the event, visit www.visitheritageharbor.com/events.

5. Teen Game Night: The Peru Public Library will host a teen game night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5. All area teens ages 12 to 18 are invited to the library at 1409 11th St. Activities include video games, board games and card games. First State Bank sponsored the snack for the event. For information, call Marti Pack at 815-223-0229 or email mpack@perulibrary.org.

Would you like your event highlighted in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to the Illinois Valley’s community calendar at shawlocal.com/illinois-valley/local-events.