The Big Fat Greek Fest is BACK! The awesome cornucopia of Greek food, music and culture returns to the St. George Greek Orthodox Church at 2930 31st Ave., Rock Island, beginning today and running through Saturday. Fest officials posted the following on their social: We are EXCITED to announce…WE ARE BACK!!! Join us Friday, September 17th from 4 PM – 11 PM and Saturday, September 18th from 11 AM – 11 PM for Our Big Fat Greek Festival! We could not be happier about bringing back the festival and getting a chance to share our culture with you again. Opa! Opa indeed! Get some of that awesome... Read More

The Rock Island Speakeasy, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island, is presenting the Laugh Hard Challenge at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18. We are pleased, once again, to be sponsoring the Speakeasy Laugh Stand Up Comedy Competition this year. The second of two preliminary rounds will be this weekend and the finals will take place on September 25. The winner will receive $1,000 and the title of Laugh Hard Champion! We are only accepting 30 comics. We will have 15 perform at each prelim and the top five from both prelims move into the finals. The cost to enter is only $10 and can be done by clicking on link below... Read More

River Music Experience, Downtown Rock Island and the Bix Jazz Society present… NOLA Block Party featuring Tuba Skinny At the Great River Plaza in Downtown Rock Island (2nd Avenue pedestrian mall) Sponsored by Illinois Casualty Company, Holiday Inn Rock Island, Rock Island Brewing Company, Daiquiri Factory and The Arena Saturday, Sept. 18 Gate and food vendors open at 6 p.m.; Music starts at 7 p.m. Admission: FREE – Donations will be accepted at the gate to support the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Hurricane Ida Disaster Fund Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO), Daiquiri Factory and The... Read More

Quinn Mei Lysaght majored in musical theater at Pittsburgh’s Point Park University, but she had the misfortune to graduate in spring 2020, when the world shut down due to Covid-19. Luckily, the world’s turned around – she took Manhattan by moving there Aug. 1, and Lysaght is making her regional theater debut in Circa ‘21’s new production of the wacky, naughty musical, “Disenchanted!” – based on some very well-known Disney heroines. She is literally living a dream playing three roles: Hua Mulan, Pocahontas, and Princess Badroulbadour, thrilled to be part of the Q-C premiere of what... Read More

Rock Island broke ground on a new YMCA building in its downtown yesterday! Mayor Mike Thoms posted the following on social media to celebrate: We broke ground on another exciting project downtown Rock Island. The YWCA is building a 45,000 square-foot new facility, at the former Zimmerman car dealership lot. Their services are greatly utilized and needed in the city of Rock Island helping the youth get a good start in life. Great job, Mr. Mayor, and let’s keep up that positive momentum for Rock Island, especially the downtown!    Read More

Omaha native and LA resident Kil Theodrick (as seen on Netflix, Hulu, Comedy Central) is coming through the Quad Cities while on tour for a surprise one night only event at 7 p.m. Thursday! Don’t miss your chance to see Kil live before you’re seeing him on your TV weekly. Hosted by Joshua Kahn Also Featuring Mike Adrales (QC) Steve Jennings (QC) Jameson Cox (Des Moines) Todd Willhite (QC) Aloe Mean (Des Moines) Dan Umthun (Des Moine) Doors are 6:30pm / Show 7pm Tickets $10 by calling the Circa 21 Box Office at 309-786-7733 ext.2 or at www.thecirca21speakeasy.com Tickets are $12 at the door To... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Southern Illinois regions have run out of available ICU beds, a dangerous metric that could trigger new, harsher covid-19 mandates from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Southern Illinois reported Monday that it had no available ICU beds in an area of almost a half-million people, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. That marked the first time since the covid pandemic began that an Illinois region had reported no available ICU beds. Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team, known by its acronym IMPACT, released a statement Tuesday, describing it as “signaling... Read More

Your favorite fairytale princesses and a bunch of their empowered friends get a whole new look, and a whole new sound, in the latest stage event at Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse: DISENCHANTED! Running through November 6, this hysterical fairytale hit was praised by Chicago Critic for its “fun music and even funnier characters that will have you laughing all the way to the palace.” The show is now making its Quad Cities debut boasting the talents of a sensational professional cast.  DISENCHANTED! has scheduled performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings at... Read More

Parents and other caregivers now have two options for storytimes at the Rock Island Public Library. In addition to the library’s ongoing virtual storytimes, offered at 10:30 am on Tuesdays via Facebook Live, the library has begun a limited in-person Friday storytime at the Rock Island Public Library Southwest branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road. The in-person version will be offered at 10:30 am on September 24, and October 1. Whenever possible, the in-person storytimes will be offered outside. If conditions require moving inside to the Southwest Library Community Room, masks will be required for all... Read More

The following article is part of QuadCities.com’s partnership with local music website The Echo. For more, check out theechoqc.com! Echo: How did you get started with the Spot? Wes Julien: The process started around 2019. We were kind of getting things back together in this space and looking to rebuild. We’re thankful to have been able to link up with my friends and be able to start back over again and start something fresh here in this space. It’s been a 2.5-year process. From just getting things going to having to pause because of COVID and working to just rebuild again. It’s been really... Read More