A third round of grants have been awarded to Quad Cities-area nonprofits supporting the community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants are made possible because Quad Citizens continue to donate to the Quad Cities Disaster Recovery Fund at the Quad Cities Community Foundation. The fund recently surpassed $1 million in contributions, and provides critical support for basic needs during the pandemic. Nonprofits in the Quad Cities region have requested more than $3 million in support since the fund was activated nearly two months ago. With this round, a total of $695,772 from the Disaster... Read More

DAVENPORT – The Figge Art Museum will celebrate Quad-Cities Pride starting Saturday with its first dual virtual/gallery exhibition. Works by Cedar Rapids-based photojournalist Andy Abeyta will be in the Figge’s second-floor Lewis Gallery once the museum reopens, but will also be available Saturday, May 2, for online viewing at figgeartmuseum.org. The exhibit features 11 of Abeyta’s joyous and vibrant images of the 2019 QC Pridefest, part of the QC Pride’s Unity Pride Week, which is being postponed this year. “QC Pride is dedicated to promoting awareness and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community... Read More

Along with the usual characters like Thomas the Train Engine, Elmo and Blue, you might see some familiar faces on PBS Kids this week. Local PBS station WQPT has debuted a new commercial playing between shows (technically called an interstitial) featuring a number of Quad-Cities kids doing a variety of activities during the past few weeks of coronavirus quarantine. “The idea for the spot came watching my neighbors’ sons riding their bikes on our frontage road,” said Lora Adams of WQPT. “They’re the only kids around and I saw them making their own fun as they played on their own.” With... Read More

Midwest Monster Fest 2020 is proud to announce it will be hosting C.J. Graham, who played Jason Vorhees in fan fav Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives, during the fest this Sept. 5-6 at The Rust Belt in East Moline! A 6’3″ former nightclub General Manager in the Los Angeles, CA market, C.J. Graham was spotted as a potential Jason Voorhees for Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives when he was playing Jason in a night club act, impressing the casting people from Reel Effects who were in search of a new Jason since the stuntman wasn’t coming across as imposing or powerful as they... Read More

Like most others during this crazy Covid crisis, arts organizations locally and nationally are struggling to find financial help. Though four individual artists recently got some funding, no Quad-Cities arts groups – all reeling from the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic — were helped in the first round of $191,000 from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs (IDCA). The first relief grants this month were limited to artists and very small nonprofits, including Q-C artists Courtney Lyon (dance), Lojo Russo (music), Matthew Terry (visual art) and Pat Bereskin (art and art education). In... Read More

DAVENPORT – In this world of virtual reality we’re all living, this year’s Spring Beaux Arts Fair on May 9-10 is also entering cyberspace. For the first time in its 67-year history, the fair’s 114 local and regional artists will feature their handmade creations online at beauxartsfair.com. Shoppers are asked to visit the “Meet the Artists” page, where they can peruse and purchase directly from vendors. “This will be the first time the fair has gone virtual, but it is necessary given the current situation with Covid-19,” says Beaux Arts organizer Vicki Rocker. “It’s important... Read More

Are you an LGBTQ+ adult in the Quad Cities looking to stay connected to your community during COVID-19? Join The Project Quad Cities for a FREE virtual book club! Just fill out a quick RSVP form so The Project can collect an address to ship the book to. Reserve your spot by April 28. Please note there are only have ten (10) spots available. They will take registrations on a first come first serve basis. If they cannot accept your registration, they will inform you via email. Virtual meeting information will be shared with those who RSVP via email. Discussion Date: Monday, May 18 Discussion Time:... Read More

Remember the “cornchip” days? Recall those halcyon times of the ’80s when goth, new wave, synth pop, indie pop and other outlier music mixed with outsider status, skinny ties, funky haircuts, long coats and lots and lots of black? You wore black on the outside because black is how you felt on the inside, and life was as heavy as your thoughts you scrawled in your specially designed journal. And, if you lived in and around the Quad-Cities, you hung out at a little spot called Stage 2. If you still recall those days, you’re going to want to check out DJ Shane Brown’s... Read More

Well, you can forget about spring sports and concerts, and a whole bunch of other things you enjoy, unless you enjoy wearing masks, in which case YOU’RE IN LUCK! Illinois’ stay-at-home order has been extended to May 30, keeping a myriad of Quad-Cities businesses and activities closed through at least early June. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made the announcement this afternoon in an online press conference. Pritzker is also requiring residents to wear masks in public. The current stay-at-home order was through April 30th. “On our current trajectory, the state is projected to see a peak... Read More

Four years ago this month, Lindsay Thul was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of breast cancer, at age 28. Less than 10 months later, she was dead. Lindsay’s mother, Diane Koster – owner of the Grape Life Wine Store & Lounge, 3402 Elmore Ave., Davenport – honors her life and aims to educate others in a new book, “Lindsay’s Legacy: A Mother’s Memories.” “It’s a story of hope and it’s a story of courage,” Koster said recently. “And it’s a story of a relationship between a mom and a daughter, and it’s very educational about that disease, the different steps... Read More