John Taylor of Cambridge, Ill. – a local cultural guru behind Heartland Connections, the Levitt AMP Galva Music Series and the Ca d’Zan concert series – has been a busy Christmas elf the past couple weeks. He has helped produce several holiday videos featuring area musicians. A “Spreading Holiday Cheer” video from Heartland Connections is more than an hour long, and features performances of many musicians in Illinois and Iowa. You can see it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3-pohv2udk and https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandConnections/posts/3607327219492911. “Originally, I started... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: At long last, an over $900 billion covid stimulus deal has been reached by Congress, and will be finalized and voted on within the next 24 hours, according to various reports. According to reporting from CNN, as well as direct video on CSPAN, YouTube and other sources, House and Senate Democratic and Republican leaders have announced the deal will be voted on in the House tonight, and is expected to be passed by the Senate tonight or tomorrow and signed into law by the president by tomorrow at the latest, allowing direct stimulus payments and programs to go into effect immediately,... Read More

It’s Sunday, and QuadCities.com proudly presents FUN10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week! Every Sunday, we drop a new FUN10, to give you a head start on your week and a heads up on what’s going on over the coming seven days. Check out FUN10 every Sunday for the details on ten awesome events happening around town. It’s a cool read, and a great way to get started planning your entertainment for the week. FUN10 — ten ways for you to have fun in the Quad-Cities, this week and every week, running every Sunday, only on your site for fun, free, local... Read More

Rock Island-based Genesius Guild has never staged the 1843 classic “A Christmas Carol” in its distinguished 63-year history. Until now, without actual staging. After the first summer without free, live theater in Rock Island’s Lincoln Park since 1957, Genesius veteran Mischa Hooker has organized a unique audio version of the iconic Charles Dickens story, featuring many other Guild vets among its 24-member cast. In a 90-minute abridged version Dickens himself created for public readings, the Genesius cast includes Susan Perrin-Sallak as narrator, Michael Carron as Scrooge, Phil Tunnicliff... Read More

It’s Sunday, and QuadCities.com proudly presents FUN10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week! Every Sunday, we drop a new FUN10, to give you a head start on your week and a heads up on what’s going on over the coming seven days. Check out FUN10 every Sunday for the details on ten awesome events happening around town. It’s a cool read, and a great way to get started planning your entertainment for the week. FUN10 — ten ways for you to have fun in the Quad-Cities, this week and every week, running every Sunday, only on your site for fun, free, local... Read More

Geneseo’s Annual Christmas Walk is held every year on the second Saturday in December. The event kicks off with its popular Geneseo Jingle Run at 8:30 a.m. This 5K event includes a commemorative gift with pre-registration. Everyone will enjoy shopping all day throughout Geneseo, finding just the right gift for everyone on your list. Children’s activities fill the afternoon with special crafts, face painting, writing letters to Santa, and much more. Take a load off at one of our local restaurants or breweries. Join us at Central Theater for the traditional viewing of “White Christmas”. As... Read More

This has undoubtedly been a bear of a year. No joke, 2020 has been brutal. And it’s still hanging in there being surly. BUT… there IS good news in the Quad-Cities! And every month, we at QuadCities.com, in partnership with our friends at KWQC-TV6 and “Paula Sands Live,” present you with What’s The Good News? a column on some of the positive things happening in and around the area. So, what’s the good news for December? Glad you asked… Local Author Jason Platt Honored For Young Adult Series Jason Platt, an author/illustrator from Davenport, has once again... Read More

In a crazy year when most theaters and choirs have canceled performances, the Nova Singers have found a way to come together in person, to bring some much-needed peace, love and joy into our lives on Saturday. Under the direction of their fearless, passionate founder, Dr. Laura Lane, the 20-member vocal ensemble will present its first livestream event on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. On Facebook Live, “Peace, Love, Joy!” will feature solos, small group performances, and songs by the whole ensemble, with commentary by artistic director Laura Lane, director of choral activities at Knox College,... Read More

BREAKING: Covid-19 is raging through Iowa and Illinois, with Iowa in the midst of a “severe outbreak” and Illinois surging upward into the “extreme” danger category, according to the latest statistics. Iowa covid-19 cases and deaths are continuing to triple the number in Illinois, which continues to experience a rise in cases of its own, despite Illinois’ much larger population. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there were 30,328 new confirmed and probable cases of covid-19 in Iowa on Dec. 3, with 258 deaths reported; and even more cases and deaths... Read More

To say it’s been a difficult year for creators in the local, and national, arts scene is a massive understatement. All of us have lost money, jobs, our careers and found our artistic outlets severely curtailed. Any of us within the live performance and audience interaction area — from live music to theater to book signings — have had our livelihoods completely decimated. One local creator, however, Kristin Bruchmann, is looking to help out. She told me recently, “I’ve been quite concerned about the number of folks in the Q-C arts scene who have lost their livelihoods... Read More