As a working mother, Stephanie Soebbing is expert at multi-tasking and time management. The 35-year-old former native of suburban Chicago is especially busy during the coronavirus crisis, as she’s homeschooling her soon-to-be six-year-old daughter, caring for her three-month-old daughter, and with her husband Adam, running their business – which has a key role in making masks used around the nation. Soebbing is founder and owner of Quilt Addicts Anonymous (QAA), a quilt shop specializing in modern and contemporary fabrics, with a currently closed store at 3416 46th Ave., Suite 103, Rock... Read More

Even in the age of covid, when there’s plenty of depressing stuff going around, there’s a lot of good news in the Quad-Cities! And every month, as usual, I put together a collection of some of the awesome things happening in and around town, and share them with you here and on KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live,” airing at 3 p.m. weekdays! So, tune in to PSL, and read on here on your site for fun, free, local entertainment and good news, QuadCities.com! Beck And Woods Teaming Up With Raimi For Sci-Fi Film Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are teaming up with filmmaker Sam Raimi (best known for the... 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

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

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

In the face of invisible, insidious diseases that impact hundreds of thousands of people, Living Proof Exhibit (LPE) uses the arts to offer hope and inspiration. Since it was founded 10 years ago, the Quad-Cities nonprofit has provided therapeutic benefits of the arts to people affected by cancer, in a wide variety of settings and media. One of its latest projects is being postponed by the current coronavirus pandemic. In a partnership with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) and Augustana-based composer Jacob Bancks, Living Proof is rescheduling the world premiere of the commissioned opera... Read More

Theaters in the Quad-Cities and nationwide are canceling spring and summer shows, due to Covid-19. The latest response to the global pandemic is the Augustana College-based Mississippi Bend Players (MBP), which is shelving its 2020 season. Jackie McCall is in her first year as MBP producing artistic director, and this was to be the fourth season for the professional summer-stock company. It planned to start rehearsals for Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound” June 7, with performances June 19-28 at Brunner Theatre Center, Rock Island. “When we just looked at ahead at what could happen,... Read More