Saturday In The Arts is a weekly look at a personality, place, trend or topic of interest to the Quad-Cities. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for fun, free, local entertainment and features, QuadCities.com. Samantha Pauly, a 2008 graduate of Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, was set to co-star in one of this year’s most anticipated new musicals on Broadway, “Six.” A flashy, feminist retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII (as a high-tech pop concert), the show played a month of previews in New York City and was to open March 12 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.... Read More

Quad City Arts’ plan to help regional artists stay motivated by creating artwork throughout the quarantine — which began in March 2020 — will continue into 2021 with the culminating exhibition of chosen works postponed to October 2021. The plan is to share the artwork with the public when we can safely gather socially, said Dawn Wohlford-Metallo, visual arts director at Quad City Arts. “As the pandemic wears on, it is more important than ever for people to express themselves creatively,” she said. All artists residing within a 250-mile radius of the Quad-Cities are invited to... Read More

Visit Quad Cities and local tourism leaders are mourning the loss of a Q-C champion and cheerleader. Joe Taylor, 65, of Hampton, Ill., died Thursday, Dec. 3 in a Cedar Rapids hospital. He was the longtime former president and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, then-Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau (QCCVB). “On behalf of our Board of Directors and team, we are incredibly saddened by the news of Joe Taylor’s passing,” Dave Herrell, current president/CEO of Visit Quad Cities, said Friday. “A leader and accomplished veteran of our industry, Joe’s love, passion, and contributions to the... Read More

A chance for local school children to learn more about music of the Big Band-era will premiere in the coming weeks as part of Western Illinois University’s Youth Performing Arts Series (YPAS), despite the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A 25-minute video, featuring WIU’s Jazz Studio Orchestra (JSO) and singers from WIU’s jazz studies program, performing live songs from the 1930s and 40s, will be played in the music programs of local schools. The video is narrated by radio disc jockey Eddie Dupree, also known as WIU Professor of Music John Cooper, and was created... Read More

Holiday light displays are up and lit around the Quad Cities, which means it’s time for a Holiday Light Tour with our Jaycees friends! Drive around the QCA with us on Saturday, December 5 starting at 6:00 pm to get in the holiday spirit! We will meet at the Jaycees Hall, 2940 Brady St, Davenport, then be on our way, running a caravan through the tour starting at the Quad City Botanical Gardens, then Fejervary Park, and ending at the Kall House (by fellow Jaycee Aubrey Kall!). See you Saturday! For more information, check it here.  Read More

Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll! A get-up-and-dance musical tribute to early Rock & Roll! The Tailfins Band brings energy and excitement to the hits of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s & 80’s and they’ll be playing at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Rhythm City Casino in Davenport. The band’s authentic show takes you back to cruisin’ cars, sock-hops, beach parties, and the best Rock & Roll of all time! Five talented musicians – electric guitar, piano, bass, vocals and rockin’ drums. Everyone sings golden Doo-Wop Vocals. The Tailfins are true to the first generation of rock; Elvis, Buddy Holly,... Read More

For the third time in three years, a team of Western Illinois University students have finished high in the CME Group Trading Challenge, a four-week, international electronic trading competition. This year’s team was made up of Cooper Bounds, a master of business administration (MBA) graduate student from Taneytown, MD; Amy Johnson, a senior agriculture major from Cambridge, IL; Matthew Swanson, a senior agriculture major from LaHarpe, IL; and Arthur Wasilowksi, a master of business administration (MBA) graduate student from Des Plaines, IL. The team finished in the top 8 percent of the competition,... Read More

UPDATED: Iowa covid-19 cases and deaths continued to have a massive surge after the Thanksgiving holiday week, tripling the number in Illinois, which continues to experience a rise in cases of its own. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there were 30,328 new confirmed and probable cases of covid-19 in Iowa on Dec. 3, with 258 deaths reported; and even more cases and deaths Dec. 4, with 30, 629 cases and 340 deaths. The numbers dwarf those in the larger neighboring state of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported 10,959 new confirmed and probable cases of... Read More

Dawes will be performing its exceptional debut album North Hills from front to back as a live stream THIS FRIDAY, Dec. 4th and Raccoon Motel will be co-promoting this show exclusively with the band. Grab your tickets below. The show begins at 8 pm central and there is a 48-hour rebroadcast so if you are tied up at that time, you can use your access code to view anytime over the weekend. As we all continue to navigate this bummer of a live music year, we here at Codfish Hollow and the Raccoon Motel want to keep providing the best opportunities to experience some form of live concert performance... Read More

To say it’s been a difficult year for creators in the local, and national, arts scene is a massive understatement. All of us have lost money, jobs, our careers and found our artistic outlets severely curtailed. Any of us within the live performance and audience interaction area — from live music to theater to book signings — have had our livelihoods completely decimated. One local creator, however, Kristin Bruchmann, is looking to help out. She told me recently, “I’ve been quite concerned about the number of folks in the Q-C arts scene who have lost their livelihoods... Read More