Have you been trying to find that perfect addition to your home décor? Or maybe you just can’t get enough antiques for your vintage collection. Then this is the show for you! The annual Spring Antique Spectacular Vintage Market will be taking place Friday through Sunday at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. There will be 70 exhibitors with antiques and vintage items for purchase or for your viewing pleasure. These items will include great furniture, art pottery, country, stoneware, books, prints, primitives, jewelry, silver, antique glassware, American Indian items, china, postcards, coins,... Read More

Ready for some reggae? YaMaka My Weekend is back! The awesome annual reggae fest is returning to the District in downtown Rock Island Saturday 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Join us for Summers annual Jamaican celebration in Downtown Rock Island!!!! Music, food , zip lining, shopping and of course all our great drinks to take out and enjoy outside. Over 50 different martinis, 80 craft beers and 10 flavors of 32 oz Mojitos!!!!!  Read More

EXCLUSIVE: Controversy erupted with the ferocity of a barroom brawl on social media Monday night after the Rock Island City Council voted 4-3 to indefinitely maintain a 2 a.m. closing time for bars in the downtown Rock Island District area. It’s worth noting that one of the people voting against the measure was alderman Dylan Parker, whose ward includes the District. The other two were Ivory Clark and Dave Keenan. It’s also worth noting that Parker’s vote against the continued closure is representative of the opinions of his constituency, the bar owners, which were hoping that the council... Read More

A second large bar in downtown Rock Island is closing its doors. Just weeks after Billy Bob’s shut down, The Black Sheep Pub is closing. Owner Shawn Cirlos posted on social media that he’d been losing $30,000 a month due to covid and the city’s 1 a.m.curfew for bars in the downtown. Cirlos added that he’ll be relocating his employees to his businesses in Davenport and is considering a potential opening for The Black Sheep at a new location across the river. Cirlos also posted that he’s selling the location on the bar’s facebook page: FOR SALE !! We are... Read More

The party is ending. Billy Bob’s Redneck Party Bar, not that long ago a thriving business in Rock Island’s downtown strip, announced on Facebook that they were closing next week. Undoubtedly hit incredibly hard by covid-19 and lengthy closures and quarantines, the dance club owners posted the following tonight: It’s with a heavy heart that we have to make this post. Saturday October 3rd will be our last day open. We will be open Thursday, Friday , Saturday next week. 6pm-1am $1 wells and 12oz cans $2 tall boys and calls “jack, captain, etc…” $3 top shelf Drink... Read More

Are you ready to rumblllllllllllllle????? Big Swing and SCWPro are! In conjunction with local wrestling academy Black and Brave, owned by Seth Rollins, Big Swing and SCW Pro are bringing the Rock Island In The Sun pro wrestling event to downtown Rock Island Aug. 22. The event rolls 8-11 p.m. Aug. 22 at Big Swing Brewing Company, 113 18th Street, Rock Island (in the old Blue Cat.) Tickets are $10. Click here for more info!    Read More

Are you ready to get stamp’d? Head down to downtown Rock Island’s Big Swing for karaoke night tonight (and every Friday night starting at 8) and you can line yourself up for some prizes, but getting a Get Stamp’d Passport at Big Swing, and then heading down 2nd Street a bit to get another stamp over at Billy Bob’s Q-C dance club. Both stamps win prizes and the more stamps you collect on karaoke nights wins you a bigger prize. For more info, check out Big Swing’s Facebook page.  Read More

Rock Island District dance club Billy Bob’s has announced they’ll be closing, at least temporarily, due to low business numbers caused by covid-19. The bar posted the following on its Facebook last night: One month ago when we were finally able to open our doors back up after almost 4 months of being closed due to Covid 19. We were pretty honest in reaching out to everyone and letting them know we really needed their support. We are not sure the reason for such low numbers. Probably due to people still wanting to shelter at home and perhaps due to the District needing to close at 2am... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a comprehensive, in-depth feature on a topic, trend or personality impacting the Quad-Cities, posted every Saturday morning on QuadCities.com. This week we look at the various downtown businesses of the Illinois and Iowa Quad-Cities and how they’ve been impacted by, and have adapted to, the covid-19 pandemic.   The popular Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO), in the middle of The District at 1815 2nd Ave., has been through a lot since it opened in 1979. Hailed as a leader in Q-C live entertainment (its starry roster of guest acts includes Bo Diddley, The Wallflowers,... Read More

As Illinois relaxes its social restrictions Friday (including allowing all gatherings of 10 people or fewer), the Quad City Arts Center, 1715 2nd Ave., Rock Island, will reopen Friday at 10 a.m. Free entry is available 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 Saturdays. Following the next phase of the “Restore Illinois” plan, which also allows bars and restaurants to open outdoor seating under restrictions, executive director Kevin Maynard said May 29 was the earliest the downtown gallery could reopen. “We’re taking all the precautions, taking it seriously,” he said Thursday. “Both... Read More