Denny and Brett Hitchcock are the most tenacious of entrepreneurs. For over 40 years, their business, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, has endured a handful of recessions, booming and barren economic conditions, and, now, a pandemic. It certainly hasn’t been easy. Especially not in 2020. Both father and son have said, without hyperbole, that their business was very much in danger of going under if pandemic and economic conditions continued. However, this week, they re-opened, after several months of stress and uncertainty. They debuted a new show, “Savannah Sipping Society,” a homey comedy that’s... 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

Following many years of work in historic preservation, Rock Island leaders made history again Monday, July 6, as the downtown officially became part of the National Register of Historic Places. Led by the city’s Community and Economic Development Department, the effort was announced by the city of Rock Island and the Development Association of Rock Island (DARI) on the Great River Plaza downtown. “Rock Island is a historically significant community. Establishing this designation offers many benefits to property owners and the community,” Mayor Mike Thoms said. “Projects will be easier to... Read More

The City of Rock Island is requiring that all bars and restaurants located in Rock Island’s city limits that hold a 3 AM license close at 2 AM effective immediately. The decision stems from the City wanting to be a regional player with the rest of the Quad Cities where bars and restaurants close at 2 AM. Growing concerns of COVID-19 also played a part in the decision as larger crowds tend to gather past the hours of 2 AM. The City has decided to close several downtown streets to provide more space for gathering areas to aid in social distancing. Mayor Mike Thoms says, “Beyond my duties as... Read More

Like most everything else in this time of social distancing, the annual awarding of scholarships and other recognition for Rock Island High School students was done online last month. The Rock Island-Milan Education Foundation (RIMEF), led by executive director Monta Ponsetto, assembled a video presentation to detail and honor the accomplishments of 114 RIHS students, including awarding nearly $90,000 in scholarships. You can see the video at YouTube.com . The ceremony recognized the top 10 students in each Rocky class, the departmental AAAA winners, and scholarship winners through the RIMEF Austin... Read More

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.” His voice, usually brash and loud, is quiet and cracked. “I mean, I’m depressed. Obviously, it sucks, because the money is a big thing. It’s not just me playing out. My wife is a waitress and bartender, and I’m a bartender a couple nights a week. That’s just extra. But we need it.” They have a couple of kids. They have five jobs between them. Or, well, they used to. Now they have one. His. His “day job,” he used to call it. Now it’s their only lifeline to an income that was way too small for them all to live on, but which now has to... Read More

Anyone read that article sweeping the web about Terry Tilka? He’s celebrating his 30th year of busting his ass as the owner of the coolest bar in the Quad-Cities, one that’s outlived almost every other and fought its way through countless trends, several recessions and umpteen financial curves in the Quad-Cities. Terry started off young, when he was in college, owning bars around the area, and busted his ass most frequently as the owner of O’Meara’s (named after his Mom’s maiden name), before putting his money and his life on the table to buy a little spot called RIBCO when there was... Read More

TPC Cash and Carry began with a simple idea – to be a bulk grocery store — since then, it’s grown from that conceptually humble beginning into a haven for everyone from restaurant owners to party planners to the average Joe or Jill looking for a one-stop shopping spot for their party. “We know it can be a hassle sometimes, and a lot of work, to plan a party, people come in stressed out sometimes, and we want to make it easier on them,” said Roger Youngblut, general manager of the spot at  2160 E. 53rd St., Davenport.  “We’re very customer focused, we help everyone as much as... Read More

Election day is next Tuesday, April 4, and while we at QuadCities.com are largely in favor of bringing you the best of local entertainment and features, we also recognize the interest and importance of voting and its impact. So we encourage everyone, regardless of their choice, to get out and vote for the candidates they feel will do the best in their elected positions. Over the past few months, I, personally, have been honored to converse with the four men running for Rock Island mayor. This has been as part of QCUncut, my talk show podcast here on QuadCities.com, which offers uncut, unedited... Read More