Saturday In The Arts is a comprehensive weekly feature looking at a trend, personality, or major subject involving the Quad-Cities arts and entertainment scene. Many Quad City Music Guild (QCMG) board members haven’t acted on stage in more than a year, but they have been acting in the best interests of the community as they navigate the scary plot twists of a treacherous Covid landscape. Due to ongoing Covid safety protocols and continuing limitations on audience size, the QCMG board announced last month it would cancel the rescheduled April 2021 show. “The Secret Garden” was two weeks away... Read More

Living Proof Exhibit, a Quad-Cities non-profit that provides the therapeutic benefits of the arts to people touched by cancer, has gathered its arts partners together to provide a virtual escape for those affected by the disease. “Due to the pandemic, we aren’t able to get volunteers into the hospitals to support people undergoing cancer treatments,” said Pamela Crouch, executive director of Living Proof Exhibit. “Instead, we’ve created a bookmark with a QR code that will take patients to virtual programming from us and our arts partners.” “The bookmarks are super easy to use,”... Read More

MOLINE, IL — The Western Illinois University Quad Cities Core Values Awards have been an annual tradition since 2010 to recognize the contributions of individuals from the University community in the Quad Cities. The 2020 awards were chosen by the Quad Cities Core Values Selection Committee. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated announcing the winners virtually, but a nameplate for each recipient will be installed on the award board on the third floor of the Quad Cities Complex. The 2020 winners, along with comments submitted by their nominator, include: • Academic Excellence – Math Instructor... Read More

Would you like to add a little horror to your Valentine’s Day weekend?! Teens and adults are invited to join Miss Amber and the hosts of Derry Public Radio for an afternoon of making Zombie Barbies together and talking about our favorite romantic horror stories on Saturday, February 13th at 2:00 pm on Zoom! Register now at http://bit.ly/dpl-zombiebarbies to reserve a special DIY kit that will include everything you need to make your own Zombie Barbie (or similar doll) including a doll, paint, and other accessories. Attendees can craft along with Amber, C.M., and Joshua during the Zoom event... Read More

“Hamilton” actress and singer Renée Elise Goldsberry will join the Quad City Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, May 15, 2021 for an outdoor 7:30 p.m. concert at Davenport’s LeClaire Park. The special concert (of Broadway, pop, and soul favorites) was originally scheduled for Davenport’s Adler Theatre and was first announced in early February 2020. QCSO executive director Brian Baxter said Friday they decided in December to move the show outdoors, due to Covid concerns, rather than cancel or postpone. “We’ve considered everything. I would say every option was weighed,” he said,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: A Rock Island person is the first to be infected with the new, more deadly strain of the South African COVID-19 variant Thursday, Illinois Department of Public Health officials announced tonight. The variant B.1.351, was found in a Rock Island resident, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. It’s not yet known how the person contracted the disease. “We expected to see more cases of variants detected in Illinois, including the B.1.351 strain,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike in a release. “These variants seem to spread more rapidly, which can lead... Read More

It definitely takes a village to raise your spirits. For this unusual Valentine’s season of love, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse has organized a special musical theater love letter – marrying several Quad-Cities venues to produce the video compilation, “Let’s Fall in Love.” A virtual celebration of love and the arts, the 75-minute program will debut Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m., featuring performers not only from Circa, but the Black Box Theatre, Center for Living Arts, Countryside Community Theatre, Davenport Junior Theatre, Double Threat Studios, Mississippi Bend Players/Augustana, QC... Read More

Are you ready to fall in love? Will you be our Valentine? Quad City theatres have joined together to offer a streaming Valentine’s show like no other. Join us for romantic songs, swoon-worthy dance numbers, and true love stories! Make it a date: streaming starts February 13 at 5pm and ends February 21st. Get your tickets now at showtix4u.com/events/circa21. Your love will be spread far and wide, as all tickets and donations for this event will be shared among the participating Quad Cities theatres. Let’s do it, let’s fall in love!  Read More

BanD acoustic is playing at 8 p.m. Friday at The Pub, 426 1st Ave., Milan! join BanD for their debut at The Pub in Milan!!!! Music from all your favorite artists from Sinatra to Midland and most everything in-between!!  Read More

When you think of Valentine’s Day, you think of horror stories, Stephen King and Zombie Barbies, right? Right??? Well, the fine folks at the Davenport Public Library and the local King podcast Derry Public Radio sure do. They invite you to add a little blood to your heart holiday, as they’re hosting a free Zoom event Saturday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m., to make Zombie Barbies and talk about their favorite horror tales. Amber Carlson, DPL youth services and programming librarian, first asked podcast co-host (and Stephen King fanatic) Joshua Kahn to recommend specific horror books for teens around Halloween... Read More