There’s plenty of activity coming up over the next week in regard to spots opening up on both sides of the river in the Quad-Cities. According to the Chamber of Commerce: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday announced the state will allow more businesses to reopen and mass gatherings over the next week, limiting capacity to 50%, maintaining six feet of separation between individuals and groups and adhering to hygiene and other public health measures in place. The following businesses may reopen Thursday, May 28: Bars Wineries Breweries Distilleries Social and fraternal clubs Guidelines for... Read More

Everybody loves a good Instagram wall — a great spot to use as a backdrop for your selfies and pictures — and there are some right here in the Quad-Cities. Here are six top spots to make your Instagram pop. Rust Belt – East Moline, Illinois – This spot provides an industrial and bright look with its rock star brick and sheet metal window treatment. Faithful Pilot – LeClaire, Iowa – This multicolored wall screams for a ’70s/’80s retro shoot. The muted colors are choice. Fred & Ethel’s – Rock Island, Illinois – This pocket park’s... Read More

It’s been said there are no coincidences. All actions, all events, are part of a lattice of connection that perhaps we can’t see, and of which we’re not aware, but that we all feel, consciously or unconsciously. That’s what it means when you say something feels right. It feels like it should be. It feels like it should be of our time. That seems to be true especially when it comes to entertainment. To be sure, at all times, there is popular entertainment. There is always something moving through the transom of our lives, of our consciousness, taking up the spotlight. But there are so few... Read More

Local cornbread aficionado Aiden Landman has been gifted with a golden honor. According to an excited and tasty post on Landman’s Facebook just moments ago, he was nominated by the NCCBA (National Council for Cornbread Awareness) for the 10 day favorite cornbread image challenge. Landman is the first Quad-Citian (that we’re aware of) to be nominated for the prestigious national award. In terms of food-related awards and image challenges, he follows in the footsteps of Tristan Tapscott, who was nominated for the 10 day favorite mojito challenge, Khalil Hacker, who was nominated for the... Read More

Sara Barto was looking forward to her 40th birthday on Friday, March 13. She and her husband Dave were planning to go out of town for the weekend. The world had other plans. A bartender at the new Off Point Pub, on Davenport’s Hickory Grove Road, the Bettendorf woman went to the doctor that day after having side pain and nausea. After several tests, including an ultrasound and liver biopsy, Barto was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She started chemotherapy immediately but lost her job soon after when the then-four-month-old bar had to close due to Covid-19. Barto was embraced with support... Read More

The Pokey LaFarge concert originally set for Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 8 PM – 11 PM at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers has been postponed. For more information, see the Codfish Hollow Facebook page.  Read More

Galva’s summer music series will be postponed a year, and a virtual one will take its place soon, a trend which seems to be gaining momentum as the uncertainty of a summer under the cloud of Covid-19 looms before us. As part of the cascade of Covid-19-related closures, the third-annual Levitt AMP Galva Music Series this summer is canceled, and its organizer is working on creating a more compressed online series in its place. The 12 Sunday night concerts in Wiley Park, free to the public, were due to start May 31. John Taylor of Cambridge, president of the series and concert organizer, said it... Read More

Joining Music Guild, Countryside, Genesius Guild and a number of others, Playcrafters Barn Theatre in Moline has canceled their summer shows due to concerns over coronavirus. The pandemic has now nearly wiped clean the local theater slate for the summer, with only Moline’s Black Box Theater not having announced cancellations, and Circa ’21 holding out any hope of salvaging shows, hoping to still be able to stage “Saturday Night Fever” at some point. Playcrafters announced the following on their Facebook page today: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and for the safety... Read More

Countryside Community Theatre has joined the host of area venues canceling their summer slate due to concerns about covid-19. The Eldridge-based group released the following statement on Facebook today: We are sad to announce that our Summer 2020 shows, The Music Man and The Fantasticks, will not be happening this summer due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The health and safety of our performers, stage crew, musicians, patrons, and volunteers are of the utmost importance to us, and we know that this is the right decision for Countryside Community Theatre. We hope to announce our 2021 Season as soon... Read More

Relatively few Quad-Cities artists and arts organizations have received Covid-19 relief funding from Iowa or Illinois, and both states are proceeding in their next round of grant awards. Illinois Humanities recently gave out 24 emergency relief grants (of $2,500 each) – including the Rock Island-based Midwest Writing Center and Bishop Hill Heritage Association. These general operating (non-project) grants aim to help smaller humanities organizations throughout Illinois to weather the current pandemic. “Especially in this moment of duress, Illinois Humanities is proud to support not-for-profit... Read More