There’s big news at the big auditorium at North Scott High School, Eldridge, as a big cast and crew have come together to break out their new production of the big, boisterous musical “Disney’s Newsies.” The Countryside Community Theatre performances – by a predominantly young cast of 33, led by director and choreographer Ashley Becher – will be this weekend and next, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. “Newsies” was done in early 2019 at Circa ’21 and just this past May by Double Threat Studios, and is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader... Read More

U.S. Bank Foundation today announced a $1 million investment to 20 nonprofit organizations, including Moline-based Mercado on 5th Inc. – “driven by a diverse group of exceptional emerging leaders who are focused on creating effective community-led solutions toward the increasing economic disparities,” according to a Wednesday release from Mercado. Organizations are in both rural and metro communities and are focused on support for entrepreneurs and small business owners, workforce development programs and financial inclusion efforts for individuals and families as solutions to wealth building. Specifically,... Read More

The Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (ICCVB) has named Dave Herrell, President and CEO, Visit Quad Cities, as their new chairman. This industry-led group works together with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism to enable its members to be more effective and efficient in attracting visitors to their communities. “I am humbled to join alongside my peers and serve this extremely valuable organization, said Herrell in a Tuesday news release. “ICCVB and its 38 member destinations throughout the State of Illinois are critically important... Read More

Artists in Conversation is a weekly column running Wednesdays on QuadCities.com. It features a conversation with a local creator or creators going into their artistic process, projects and more. Get to know your local arts scene and local creators better on QuadCities.com with Artists In Conversation! If you’re a local creator and would like to be featured, please email us at Sean@QuadCities.com or Tristan@QuadCities.com! I close my eyes and I can see The world that’s waiting up for me That I call my own Through the dark, through the door Through where no one’s been before But it... Read More

Due to the abridged past summer season, there’s a good chance you may have missed the small, stellar offerings of Mississippi Bend Players, the professional regional theater at Augustana College, Rock Island. Well, you are in luck, as two of the three shows in the 2021 season (which only ran for one weekend apiece) will have virtual encores, with online screenings of “Mary and Ethel: How I Learned to Sing” and “No Child…” “Mary and Ethel: How I Learned to Sing” will stream through Aug. 8. Conceived and performed by Shelly Cooper with musical arrangements by Mason Moss, the show... Read More

Thousands of runners who braved the scorching heat early Saturday, July 24 for the Bix 7 race got a glimpse of the heart of the Hilltop Campus Village (HCV) in Davenport. Though they likely did not stop then for a stirring jolt of coffee or admire some of the area’s striking architecture, Scott Tunnicliff and Molly Otting Carlson certainly hope they’ll be back soon to take in all the area has to offer. Tunnicliff – an avuncular, dedicated 66-year-old economic development leader – recently retired as the first HCV director in its 12-year history. Carlson, a 52-year-old Davenport native,... Read More

The Russian Ballet Theatre will present a breathtaking new production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s timeless classic “Swan Lake” on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 at the Adler Theatre. Tickets for this performance go on sale this Friday, July 30 at 10 a.m. online at Ticketmaster.com and in person at the Adler Theatre Box Office (136 E. 3rd St., Davenport). Tickets are $39, $49, $69 and $89 (plus applicable service charges). “It is all of the splendor which has mesmerized ballet audiences for over a century, plus a bit more,” a Monday release from the Adler says. “Gorgeous, detailed hand-painted... Read More

The Adler Theatre and VenuWorks present Joan Jett & The Blackhearts on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. at the Adler Theatre in Davenport. Reserved seat tickets will go on sale Friday, July 30 at 10 a.m. in person at the Adler Theatre Box Office (136 E. 3rd St.) and online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $39, $49, $64 and $79. A 62-year-old Pennsylvania native, Joan Jett is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As leader of the hard-rocking Blackhearts, with whom she has become a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, she’s had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a weekly feature covering a trend, subject, event or personality of local interest. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for the best entertainment and arts coverage in the area, QuadCities.com! When bassist Dan Martin moved with his wife in 2007 to a quiet Queens neighborhood in New York City, he knew next to nothing about legendary jazz cornetist, pianist and composer Bix Beiderbecke. Martin – now 52, with a 12-year-old son — moved within eight blocks of the Sunnyside apartment building where the Davenport native died of pneumonia Aug. 6, 1931, at just 28,... Read More

Superman is hardly the only “Man of Steel.” That moniker could apply to Steven Maeck of Decorah, Iowa, a sculptor who works in welded and assembled steel. The 64-year-old Vermont native is among 10 Midwest artists chosen this year to have their sculptures leased and placed throughout the Quad-Cities last month, in Quad City Arts’ public sculpture program. The pieces will be on display through June 5, 2022. Maeck’s work, “Muso’s Thought,” is near the Channel Cat dock on the Mississippi River in downtown Moline near the Radisson hotel. Since 2002, he has designed and fabricated sculptural... Read More