As SAL Family and Community Services (SAL) celebrates its 50th year, few people have witnessed the organization’s evolution like Loredia Nunn-Dixon. Born and raised in the Quad-Cities, Nunn-Dixon began 30 years ago as an office assistant, working her way up and then over into childcare and family services. There, she saw the nonprofit’s opportunity to offer the community a fuller range of services. SAL oversees Skip-A-Long Child Development Services, which operates four childcare and learning centers in the Q-C. “Seeing the families that came in, I had a chance to experience firsthand that... Read More

After a year with no downtown Moline market, Mercado on Fifth is back to bringing its family-friendly festivities starting this Friday, and a new director is excited to expand the market to downtown Davenport. Mercado on Fifth in Moline (5th Avenue in the area of 11th to 12th streets) will run 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Friday, June 4 – Sept. 24. The new Mercado en el Rio in Davenport (Quinlan Court, off River Drive between Brady and Perry streets) will run 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every second Saturday, June through October. Like other canceled events in 2020, many people missed not having Mercado last... Read More

Summer reading and events at the Rock Island Public Library begin the first week of June in full technicolor style with a summer reading “colorama” kickoff, a take-home pinwheel kit for kids, the start of Summer2Go events around the library bookmobile, a Friends and Family seminar with NAMI, and more. From June 1 to July 31, Reading Colors Your World summer reading challenges and events at the Rock Island Public Library will encourage readers of all ages to be creative, try new things, explore art and color, and see the beauty of diversity. Library summer reading programs help children and... Read More

Got a perfect pupper? A great good boi? A darn awesome doggo? QuadCities.com wants to feature your dog in our new Pupper Of The Week feature! Just send a picture of your pet with their name, your name, and a sentence or two about them and we’ll post their pic and story on QuadCities.com. Message your doggo pics and info to Sean@QuadCities.com. And get ready to check out some cool doggos on your site for fun, free, local entertainment and features, QuadCities.com!  Read More

Rock Island Public Library locations and bookmobile routes will be closed Monday, May 31 for the Memorial Day holiday. During the holiday, digital content and research will still be available at www.rockislandlibrary.org, along with Beanstack summer reading registration. Summer kicks into full technicolor glory June 1 with the start of the Reading Colors Your World summer programs for all ages. Rock Island Public Library kicks off a vibrant summer of reading and fun with a “Curbside Colorama Kickoff” from 3:30 to 6:00 pm on Tuesday, June 1 outside the Rock Island Downtown Library, 401 19th Street.... Read More

Visit Quad Cities and area museums have teamed up again for Quad Cities Museum Week. After taking a hiatus during the pandemic last June, the annual celebration is back again for its fifth year from June 6 to 13. For all the details, visit www.qcmuseumweek.com. Museums throughout the Q-C region will welcome visitors with activities, new exhibits, discounted admissions, tours, special programs, and more. “We’re back and ready for visitors. This year, 14 museums are participating in Quad Cities Museum Week as we celebrate science, art, history, and discovery,” says Charlotte Doehler-Morrison,... Read More

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Join us Tuesday, May 25th at 6:00 pm for a discussion on various mental health issues. We will talk about the associated signs and symptoms of different mental health disorders. Also, we will talk about when to get professional help and how to do it. This presentation is presented by the Vera French Mental Health Center. Registration is required to receive Zoom meeting details. Register here: http://bit.ly/dpl-mentalhealth101 Keep up with our virtual programming on our Virtual Branch Calendar of Events at https://davenportlibrary.libcal.com/calendar/virtual. This... Read More

Quad City Arts is pleased to present the 5th annual Chalk Art Fest, live and in-person this summer!  While last year’s event went virtual with artists chalking up their driveways, porches and sidewalks, we are thrilled to host this year’s event in the beautiful setting of Schwiebert Riverfront Park, in downtown Rock Island, directly across the street from Quad City Arts headquarters and gallery. Inspiring and engaging for people of all ages, this free, two-day street painting festival brings together hundreds of local and regional artists that spend hours transforming the blank cement pavement... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – To commemorate World Environmental Day Saturday, June 5, three Western Illinois University professors will speak during a virtual event, from 10 a.m.-noon, themed “Ecosystem Restoration.” The lecture series, organized by WIU biology graduate student Oladele Dickson Owasoyo, of Nigeria, will take place over Zoom and can be joined at wiu.zoom.us/j/98840645382. The event is divided into three sections, including: • WIU English Professor William Knox will deliver “How Combating Climate Change Can Help Restore the Ecosystem.” • WIU Associate Professor... Read More

Cynthia Tidwell, President and CEO of Royal Neighbors of America, is the 2021 recipient of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) Forum 500 Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented annually to a member of the ACLI Forum 500 whose work exemplifies life insurers’ commitment to helping all Americans – regardless of where or how they work, their life stage, or the economic status of their household – to protect their family’s financial future. The Forum 500 is composed of small- and medium-sized life insurance companies that serve consumers in communities across the United... Read More