Kevin Maynard was as busy as a Christmas elf last Friday afternoon, as he distributed sugar cookies in the area to help promote the 35th-annual Festival of Trees. In fact, the Quad City Arts executive director dressed as an elf to deliver the Olde Towne Bakery treats (topped with the Festival logo) to his home-based co-workers and other Festival supporters. Among Maynard’s cookie run was for Kelly Oberhardt of KONE Spares (a team of the local KONE company), who covered the cost of her cookies and she matched donations of her team – raising a total of about $500 for Festival of Trees. “Things... Read More

At Quad City Arts in Rock Island, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, as the 35th anniversary of Festival of Trees will look different this year, but the holiday magic will continue in a whole new way. Kaleigh Trammell is in her second year of coordinating Festival of Trees at Quad City Arts, and while the focus for the first time will be online and on TV, there also will be a gift shop and window displays at the Rock Island Gallery from Nov. 21 to 29. “It has been a challenge,” she said recently. “When we made this decision, we were trying to look ahead to what November was going... Read More