Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) joined Senator Dick Durbin at the Rock Island Arsenal to celebrate progress on the Jointless Hull Large Format Tool and commemorate the future site of the world’s largest 3D metal printer. During her decade representing the Illinois Quad-Cities, Congresswoman Bustos has worked with Senator Durbin to secure more than $172 million in funding to support work at the Rock Island Arsenal, including $45 million for the Jointless Hull project. Combined with the $829 million in federal infrastructure funding the lawmakers helped secure for the Navigation and Ecosystem... Read More

After 25 years in downtown Rock Island, Ballet Quad Cities is dancing away to a new location in downtown Moline. The long-running creative kingpin of dance in the Quad-Cities made the following announcement via email this week: Exciting news! Ballet Quad Cities is thrilled to announce that after 25 years, the company will move to the heart of downtown Moline. We are renovating a historic 5th Avenue building, which will enhance the vibrancy of our community and strengthen our organization. Join us in celebrating our new home and stay tuned for updates! QuadCities.com will keep you up to date as... Read More

150 years ago, Rock Island citizens were eagerly awaiting the opening of the community’s first-ever truly free library on November 25, 1872. The Library will celebrate its 150th anniversary as the first library to actually open for business in Illinois with a community birthday party on November 10. The Rock Island Library kicks off a full-year of anniversary celebrations with the free public party from about 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Thursday, November 10 on the second floor of the Downtown Library, 401 19th Street. The drop-in event immediately follows the final Frieze Lecture, with speeches... Read More

Up Next in Circa ‘21’s 45th Anniversary Season: “White Christmas.” A Circa ’21 family favorite returns just in time for the holiday season! Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil’s former army commander. Featuring a dazzling score with well-known standards including “Blue Skies,” “I Love A Piano,” “How Deep Is the Ocean” and the perennial title... Read More

Looking for fun events in Iowa and Illinois this weekend? Check out our Weekend in 2 Minutes podcast! This week: Taylor Swift and emo? That’s what Raccoon has served up this weekend! You’ve also got a lot of Halloween leftover events of the spooky type, some museum events, and lots of live music in this week’s Weekend!  Read More

It finally caught up with me, the jerk. For the last three years, I’ve been dodging covid. I’ve written about it, I’ve known dozens of people who have gotten it, and spent an entire week at home around my son 24/7 while he had it, and throughout it all, I never caught it. Until this week. It hit pretty hard and fast, and unexpectedly. I’m double-vaxxed, although didn’t get boosters, and I’m in pretty good health overall. I don’t have any mitigating factors, no diabetes or anything like that. I also like long walks on the beach, sushi, and good conversations... Read More

Thanks to a generous donor, Earl Hanson Elementary School was able to purchase a new playground for its students! The PTO (parent-teacher organization) asked the school’s principal what are the school’s needs. She told them a playground, somewhere for the kids to play. The PTO members reached out to some of its community connections and found a donor. Seeing the need for a new playground, Heidi Huiskamp Collins generously donated funds through the Rock Island-Milan Education Foundation, so the school could purchase the new playground. The donation was more than $150,000. “A big part of my... Read More

The St. Joe’s Open Mic Coffeehouse is betting on a sunny, warmish afternoon on Saturday, November 12th. Please join us 1 – 3 p.m. for music, poetry, and fellowship to benefit the St. Joe’s Evening Meal. There will be a fire in the fire pit and coffee and light snacks at this family-friendly event lead by Chris Dunn. Come join us! Where: the First Lutheran Parish House: 1600 – 20th Street, Rock Island, IL When: Saturday, November 12, 2022, from 1 – 3 p.m.  Read More

With the latest production in the theatre’s stellar 2022 season, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is inviting audiences to get a clue – literally – with the area debut of the slapstick comedy-thriller CLUE: THE MUSICAL. Running through Nov. 5, this hilarious whodunit is being presented by a topnotch team of professional artists and the show itself is a riotous whodunit that inspired the Maryland Theatre Guide to ask, “Who wouldn’t want to be immersed in a classic board game full of mystery and fun?” CLUE: THE MUSICAL will be presented at Circa ’21 through Nov. 5, with... Read More

Ballet Quad Cities is presenting a special story at 6 p.m. TONIGHT at Sherrard Public Library, 501 3rd St., Sherrard. Join us for a visit from Ballet Quad Cities. We will read and dance to the Nutcracker with Ballerina Emily Kate! PLEASE NOTE: Due to our take home event storage, space is limited to registered child and 1-2 adults per family. Register here: http://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=3020&EventID=476036&PK= Must be in the Sherrard Public Library District to register. Please register each participant separately with their name and age. Self-register via Facebook or... Read More