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! Laura Keenan has a keen eye for creating both beautiful artwork and transforming work into something approaching art. The busy, staggeringly talented Augustana College senior from Elmhurst, Ill., was recently honored as Augustana’s student laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Each fall, a senior from each of the state’s four-year colleges and universities... Read More

Richmond Hill Players concludes its 2021 season with the holiday comedy Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some), written by John K. Alvarez, Michael Carlton, and James FitzGerald.  It will be presented Thursdays through Sundays, December 2-12 at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo. The show takes a little of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” mixes in “The Gift of the Magi,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and “It’s A Wonderful Life,” then adds touches of “A... Read More

Hey, we hope you’ve all had an awesome Thanksgiving, and a lot of fun with your friends and family! And, like a lot of folks, sometimes we have a little too much of that holiday punch, spiked egg nog, or Busch Lattes — hey, no worries, we’ve all been there. But whatever you do, DON’T get behind the wheel after you’ve had some adult beverages. Get yourself a ride, a cab, taxi, uber or whatever. And if you’re looking for a spot to find one, and make that call, you can find one HERE on your free, fun, local QuadCities.com. We’ve got a good array of cab companies... Read More

Lots of folks are home for the holidays this weekend, and we’re all looking for fun things to do in the Quad-Cities! Well, look no more, because we’ve got you covered with our Weekend in 2 Minutes podcast! Every week here on your FREE, fun, local QuadCities.com, we offer our short podcast running down some of the fun stuff to do in the area over the coming weekend! What’s up for this weekend? It’s Thanksgiving weekend, so we hope you have a happy, healthy, and fun holiday weekend! Here’s what’s happening, with everything from Festival of Trees, to Shop Local craft fairs,... Read More

That Dam Shopping Trip, a bi-state shopping tour of downtown Rock Island and Davenport small businesses, is back for 2021 and will be taking place Friday, November 26 and Saturday, November 27 from 11 am to 5 pm. Ten businesses, skirting both sides of the dam, will offer sales and prizes as they welcome customers to our downtown on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. That Dam Shopping Trip is a free event, and shoppers can pick up their stamp sheet at any participating location, visit the stores in any order, and turn in completed stamp sheets at their last stop. Each of the stores has donated... Read More

Everyone deserves a snow day. How will you play? At family friendly Snowstar in Andalusia, there are endless ways to enjoy fresh powder and the chill of a Midwest winter day. Maybe you start your experience by joining their highly trained teaching staff for a lesson in the basics. Maybe you prefer the challenge of racing down the professionally designed freestyle run. Or maybe you’d rather roast marshmallows from the cozy comfort of the warming hut. Whatever your preference, Snowstar has something for everyone. “No matter who you are or where you’re coming from, we’re going to try to put... Read More

If you’re feeling the November spirit of gratitude for your own blessings, the Rock Island Public Library is offering an easy way to give to people in need. The Library’s “Community Comforts” drive will collect donations of household supplies and personal care items through December 4. Collected items will be distributed to Heart of Hope Outreach Center and the Rocky Resource Room at Rock Island High School. “Personal care and hygiene items, paper products, cleaners, and other basic items are always in high demand, because they’re products people use every day,” says Karrah Kuykendall,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois covid-19 numbers are raging out of control despite all mitigations, causing some to call for even stronger restrictions and a potential lockdown and closure of schools statewide. Over the previous three weeks, the state has seen a massive surge of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, according to Illinois Department of Health numbers, and the latest data released today showed a spike beyond those numbers. Illinois has averaged 4,618 new cases of coronavirus per day over the last seven days, according to the latest IDPH statistics, representing an incredible 122% increase... Read More

The Augustana College Department of Music presents Christmas at Augustana, December 4 and 5, 2021 in Centennial Hall. Presented by Quad City Bank & Trust, Christmas at Augustana is returning live after a one-year hiatus. Christmas at Augustana has thrilled audiences in sold-out performances for over a decade. Student musicians will take the stage to share their talents in what has become a highlight of the Augustana and Quad-Cities holiday season. Featuring performances by the Augustana Brass Ensemble, Augustana Symphony Orchestra, Ascension Ringers, Augustana Choir, Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble... Read More

The Rock Island County Health Department reports one COVID-19 death: a man in his 70s who had been hospitalized. The total number of deaths is now 383. “We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends,” said Janet Hill, chief operating officer and public information officer of the Rock Island County Health Department. The health department also reports 166 cases of COVID-19 since the last report on Friday. The total number of cases is 20,009. Currently, 25 patients are hospitalized in the county with the virus. The average age of newly infected patients is 32. “We crossed... Read More