I think by now we’ve all heard about the carnage, the brutality, and the humanity of the Great Quad-Cities Pickle Wars of June 2021. For those unaware, the owner of Cafe Fresh made a lengthy post the other day claiming that her Cafe was in fact the originator of the dish which has been floating around the midwest for almost 100 years, and lambasted Meatball’s sandwich shop for having the audacity to add pickle wraps to their menu. The Quad-Cities erupted in brine and bile, putting the Cafe Fresh owner in quite the pickle as she was called out by hundreds of people for not, in fact,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois will reopen tomorrow after over a year in various stages of covid lockdown! Governor JB Pritzker announced earlier this week that the metrics had been met to put Illinois into Phase 5, which is the least restrictive of all the mitigation phases for the pandemic. So what does that mean for you? How will your life change, for the better, with fewer restrictions? And what restrictions, if any, still remain? According to the Illinois Department of Health, under Phase 5 (the new phase), fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask except where required... Read More

Perspective. Context. They’re two of the greatest gifts you can give yourself throughout your life. Think about the things that seemed so important to you as a teenager. The people you wanted to date. The things you wanted to do. The goals you had, the friends you had. Of all those things, which are still important to you? Do the same thing for your twenties, or thirties, and every decade beyond depending on how old you are. Hell, if you’re a vampire, go back to the 1800s. If you’re one of the Eternals, ask yourself why you were sitting on your ass when Thanos was killing half... Read More

The Downtown Bettendorf Organization (DBO) will once again present its “Be Downtown” event from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, June 5, in downtown Bettendorf. Located in the city’s parking lot at 15th and State streets, this free, family-friendly event will feature multiple bags tournaments with cash prizes, live outdoor music, food and drink vendors, children’s activities and more. Patrons are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. The day kicks off at 9:30 a.m. with 1031 Fitness presenting a free 45-minute high-intensity training (HIT) workout. Afterward, the K&K Family Fun... 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

The Davenport Public Library is pleased to partner with the Hoover Museum and Presidential Library for this live webinar! Join us Thursday, May 20th at 6:00 pm for “Iowa’s Communal Utopia’s” with Peter Hoehnle. To register, please visit http://bit.ly/dpl-thirdthursdaymay. This virtual presentation offers a sweeping overview of different attempts by Iowans to create their own form of utopia, beginning featuring the Iowa Pioneer Phalanx, Salburia, the Amana Colonies, the Icarian Communities, the Clydesdale Colony, Communia, and many more. This talk will provide some details about specific... Read More

River Music Experience — with other local businesses and nonprofits that make their home in the historic Redstone building in downtown Davenport – has a lot to celebrate, including the planned opening of a new Zeke’s Island Café and re-starting of the free weekly Live@Five concert series. They all will celebrate the start of the summer on Friday, June 4 with their first outdoor concert of the year, and a building-wide Open House. The 1892 Redstone (129 Main St.) is welcoming its newest tenants, Underground Economy and Zeke’s Island Café. The building now houses two restaurants —... Read More

Are you and your children big fans of Elephant & Piggie? Then Rock Island’s Circa ’21 has got the show for you, running June 11-July 2. Get ready for a musical experience, ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved, award-winning, best-selling children’s books, that will leave audiences doing the “Flippy Floppy Floory” dance all night long! In Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!”, Gerald and Piggie take to the stage in a rollicking adventure that is perfect for young audiences. An elephant named Gerald and a pig named Piggie are best, best, “bestus” (a... Read More

Could “May the Force be with you” someday be more than a T-shirt slogan? Might it one day become the climactic phrase of a religious ceremony? According to Hollywood lore, when the first “Star Wars” film became an outrageous success, George Lucas’ ambitious friend Francis Ford Coppola suggested that Lucas try to turn the philosophies of the “Star Wars” series into a religion. Lucas laughed it off. However, given recent events, he may have to once more fend off Coppola’s insistence. Since Disney bought the franchise, the “Star Wars” films and shows... Read More

After a long time in quarantine, things are finally starting to open up, people are getting vaccinated, and things are looking up for our country, and the Quad-Cities! That’s good news! And every month, we bring YOU more good news! In conjunction with our partners at KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live,” we bring you What’s The Good News, a rundown of some of the positive things going on in our community. So, what’s the good news for May? Let’s take a look… New Theater Coming To Davenport! A new theater experience, The Mockingbird On Main is coming to 320 N. Main St., in downtown... Read More