The Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science is stepping out for New Year's Eve.

The museum is having its first off-site fund-raiser on Dec. 31, at the RiverCenter, Davenport, that will include six different types of music and dancing simultaneously throughout the facility.

Tickets are $35, and have gone on sale at the Adler ticket office, (563) 326-8555, or TicketMaster locations, including (563) 326-1111 and http://www.ticket master.com. Reservations must be made by Dec. 17.

"Music to the Max" will include big band music with the River City Big Band, featuring Don Estes, in the Mississippi Room; country with Dani Lynn Howe and band, Great Hall North; Dixieland with the Riverboaters Jazz Band, the atrium; rock oldies with Spellbound, Great Hall south and symphonic music by the Great Midwestern String Quartet and Augustana Woodwind Quartet, Adler lobby. All of those bands are local. The only exception is the blues offering, Larry McCray from Detroit. He will perform in the concourse lobby.

Dress code is "black tie to denim," said Ken Hershberger, development director for the Putnam. Members of the DavenportOne diplomat corps will be wearing matching white ties and tails and carry cell phones to help patrons, he said.

The event, Hershberger said will be tried annually, is not only a fund-raiser, but serves to "brand" the Putnam as a non-profit facility, he said. Many of those attending the Davenport museum believe it receives its funding from the city, he said.

"There's some confusion in the community," he said.

The evening will last from 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., with attendees available to stay for one act or see as many as they wish. A cash bar is available.

On-site child care will be available for children six weeks through 12 years. Cost is $20 for the first child, $15 for each additional child. Each set of parents will be loaned a pager.

All those attending will be eligible to win an ocean cruise.

David Burke can be contacted at

(563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com.