The music industry was among the first to close and will be among the last to reopen as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, placing musicians who depend on income from live performances in very dire financial positions, according to John Taylor, concert organizer and head of the now-canceled Galva summer concert series. To support musicians during this critical time, Heartland Connections, through non-profit support of the Galva Arts Council, has launched the “Play it Forward” campaign. This program will distribute 20 grants, starting at a minimum of $500, to musicians facing financial emergencies... Read More

It’s been said there are no coincidences. All actions, all events, are part of a lattice of connection that perhaps we can’t see, and of which we’re not aware, but that we all feel, consciously or unconsciously. That’s what it means when you say something feels right. It feels like it should be. It feels like it should be of our time. That seems to be true especially when it comes to entertainment. To be sure, at all times, there is popular entertainment. There is always something moving through the transom of our lives, of our consciousness, taking up the spotlight. But there are so few... Read More

After 40 years of drawing crowds to Walcott, Iowa, off I-80, the annual Truckers Jamboreee will be virtual this July 9-11, including an online Antique Truck Show; Super Truck Beauty Contest; Trucker’s Best Friend Pet Contest and free meals for drivers. “The good news is we will most definitely continue with our long-standing tradition of Celebrating America’s Truckers,” Heather DeBaillie, Vice President of Marketing for the Iowa 80 Truckstop, said in a recent release. “While we can’t host 45,000 people at Iowa 80 to celebrate, we will take the Jamboree virtual and still celebrate the... Read More

Local cornbread aficionado Aiden Landman has been gifted with a golden honor. According to an excited and tasty post on Landman’s Facebook just moments ago, he was nominated by the NCCBA (National Council for Cornbread Awareness) for the 10 day favorite cornbread image challenge. Landman is the first Quad-Citian (that we’re aware of) to be nominated for the prestigious national award. In terms of food-related awards and image challenges, he follows in the footsteps of Tristan Tapscott, who was nominated for the 10 day favorite mojito challenge, Khalil Hacker, who was nominated for the... Read More

The Pandemic Pantry is an effort coordinated by local business leaders to re-supply the food bank at the The Salvation Army of Muscatine County, Iowa. With the outbreak of the Coronavirus, there has been an increased number of families relying on our local food banks. The Salvation Army of Muscatine County has become reliant on purchasing from food banks in neighboring counties. We are here to spread the word and fill the Hawk Hauler for the Salvation Army! The next pantry event will be held 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM today at Muscatine Blain’s Farm & Fleet Hawk Hauler Event. For more information,... Read More

Galva’s summer music series will be postponed a year, and a virtual one will take its place soon, a trend which seems to be gaining momentum as the uncertainty of a summer under the cloud of Covid-19 looms before us. As part of the cascade of Covid-19-related closures, the third-annual Levitt AMP Galva Music Series this summer is canceled, and its organizer is working on creating a more compressed online series in its place. The 12 Sunday night concerts in Wiley Park, free to the public, were due to start May 31. John Taylor of Cambridge, president of the series and concert organizer, said it... Read More

Joining Music Guild, Countryside, Genesius Guild and a number of others, Playcrafters Barn Theatre in Moline has canceled their summer shows due to concerns over coronavirus. The pandemic has now nearly wiped clean the local theater slate for the summer, with only Moline’s Black Box Theater not having announced cancellations, and Circa ’21 holding out any hope of salvaging shows, hoping to still be able to stage “Saturday Night Fever” at some point. Playcrafters announced the following on their Facebook page today: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and for the safety... Read More

Relatively few Quad-Cities artists and arts organizations have received Covid-19 relief funding from Iowa or Illinois, and both states are proceeding in their next round of grant awards. Illinois Humanities recently gave out 24 emergency relief grants (of $2,500 each) – including the Rock Island-based Midwest Writing Center and Bishop Hill Heritage Association. These general operating (non-project) grants aim to help smaller humanities organizations throughout Illinois to weather the current pandemic. “Especially in this moment of duress, Illinois Humanities is proud to support not-for-profit... Read More

The 11th Annual Giles Joslyn Memorial Stringfest is going to be VERY different this year, with the performance being entirely online, but the spirit of Stringfest remains the same. Students and performers are hard at work prepping for this event. The performance will be broadcast right here on Facebook Live on Friday, May 22nd. The concert will feature student performers from 4th grade to 12th, as well as professional musicians around the community and around the country. There is no admission, but with one of the main missions of Stringfest being to raise funds for students who need it most/ “We... Read More

Sorry, Brick Tamblin. Second’s not so bad. However, despite Brick’s love of lamp, Royce Eaks has been deemed “Lamp Enthusiast Of The Decade” by the Facebook Lamp Enthusiasts Group for his amazing handcrafted lamps! According to Lamp Enthusiasts Group moderator Alan Vrombaut, Royce has even offered to donate one to help raise money for charity! And, speaking of charity, Lamp Enthusiast T-shirts are on sale now and all proceeds go to Family Resources. “Thank you all for your enthusiasm and love of lamp!!!” Vrombaut exclaims!!!! https://lampenthusiasts-2020.itemorder.com/sale  Read More