The Augustana College Department of Theatre Arts will present “One Flea Spare,” directed by Jennifer Popple, Thursday through Sunday, May 6 to 9, at Brunner Theatre Center, 3750 7th Ave., Rock Island. Darkly comic and deeply moving by turns, “One Flea Spare” is set in plague-ravaged 17th-century London, where social roles and the boundaries that describe them have turned upside down. The definition of morality is up for grabs. Upper and lower class are forced to live in quarantine together and the secrets and sins of the four shut-ins are laid bare. The social hierarchy collapses, and... Read More

In response to the Sept. 11, 2011 attacks, rocker Bruce Springsteen implored us to “Come on up for the rising.” In his 2015 musical “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda implored others to “rise up.” Goodwill and United Way in the Quad-Cities are both picking up the hopeful, aspirational “Rising” theme in two new initiatives, aiming for a better post-pandemic world for us all. Goodwill, the leading workforce provider in North America, on Tuesday announced a new, first-of-its-kind coalition called Rising Together, which will work to create an equitable economic recovery and provide job... Read More

Two dozen Quad-Cities high-school recently learned many important things about their community and made decisions on grants that help serve those needs. Through the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s Teens for Tomorrow (T4T) program, the youth philanthropy group of students announced six recipients of the total of $10,000 in annual grants. They are: Dress for Success Quad Cities’ HireHER program, to support women on the job search — $1,300 Project Renewal Inc.’s Summer Youth Program 2021, to support positive educational, recreational, and social-emotional activities — $2,500 Tapestry... Read More

In addition to adapting to an unprecedented past 14 months due to Covid, the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) also spent the past year planning to transition to a new name, ImpactLife. The name – which became effective Monday, May 3 – represents the Davenport-based nonprofit community blood provider to 120 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Serving residents of 116 counties (88 of which are in the MVRBC service area), the organization also previously included Central Illinois Community Blood Center (CICBC) and Community Blood Services of Illinois (CBSI). In... Read More

When live, in-person music was wiped out last year, Davenport-based River Music Experience provided a priceless lifeline – they brought music out to private residences in the Quad-Cities with Curbside Concerts. Now they’re back for a second year. With all the outdoor shows (in private yards, curbs, driveways and cul-de-sacs), events sponsored by Russell Construction for essential workers, and curbside caroling, RME hosted 350 concerts and reached 7,260 people from April to December 2020, RME director of entertainment Kate Dale said Monday. They contracted with about a dozen local artists, plus... Read More

Solar energy is coming to the Quad Cities International Airport by late this summer. Solar panels affixed to the terminal roof and a new carport structure will provide a clean, renewable energy source for the airport, and a covered parking option for nearly 200 spots in the short-term lot – at no cost to the Moline airport. Two additional electric vehicle charging stations will be added to the existing three once the project is completed. At the time of this announcement, only 20 percent of public U.S. airports are using solar power. “We are fortunate to have this opportunity to bring a clean... Read More

The newest Quad City Arts’ Art at the Airport exhibit is all in the family — paintings by Kristin Quinn of Davenport, with ceramic creations by her sister, Megan Quinn, of Rock Island, on display through June 30. Megan Quinn is a professor at Augustana College in Rock Island, while Kristin Quinn is a professor at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Megan is a ceramic artist, and Kristin is a painter. The two sisters grew up in a family of five children with parents who were educators, and their dad was a physicist who specialized in optics and provided access to visually stimulating... Read More

Grab some lawn chairs and get ready for a summer full of music in Galva, Ill. The Galva Arts Council is excited to announce a very talented lineup for the third annual Levitt AMP Galva Music Series presented by Regional Media, which starts at May 30. Held at Wiley Park in Galva, starting at 6 p.m., these Sunday concerts are an opportunity for community members of all ages to enjoy free live music in a picnic-style setting. Food and beverages will be available for purchase during concerts. Admission to the concerts is free and attendees are encouraged to invite friends, family, and neighbors for... 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! The intertwined arts of photography, painting and filmmaking can produce a tide of emotion and giving in ways that simple words often cannot. That trio of talents are behind the latest exhibit at Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 2967 State St., Bettendorf. Pat Herath, executive director and founder of Moline-based Wells 4 Wellness, met this spring with Pat Beréskin, the... Read More

EXCLUSIVE: It’s fair to say that anyone who will attend Renee Elise Goldsberry’s outdoor concert Saturday, May 15 at Davenport’s LeClaire Park will be “Satisfied.” The beautiful 50-year-old California native — best known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway smash “Hamilton” – will make her post-Covid live performance debut in the 7:30 p.m. concert, for a long-awaited evening of Broadway, pop, and soul favorites, backed by the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. “It’s kind of mind-blowing,” Goldsberry said in a Friday phone interview, noting her entire... Read More