If you just can’t wait for new releases from your favorite fiction authors, good news! The new Best Sellers Club at Rock Island Public Library could help you read those new titles earlier. The new service allows library patrons to sign up for automatic holds on new titles from their favorite adult fiction authors. Signing up is simple, and available to anyone with a valid library card from a PrairieCat member library. You choose the authors you want to follow from the list. When new titles arrive, Rock Island Library staff will place a hold for you. Members will receive a courtesy notice... Read More

You’ve still got a few days to enjoy the holiday lights illuminating one of the most beautiful spots in the Quad-Cities! Since last fall, Winter Nights Winter Lights has been lighting up the Quad City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Ave., Rock Island, but it’s only running through this Sunday, Jan. 10. So take your last chance to check it out! From now to Jan. 10, every night from 4 to 9 p.m. the outdoor gardens will be in winter bloom with over 130,000 glowing lights. Showcasing our largest light display yet, new areas of our outdoor gardens will be lit, including the Children’s Garden. Explore... Read More

The holidays are over, but you can still get that fun feeling by checking out the beautiful light displays around the area! Winter Nights Winter Lights is lighting up the Quad City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Ave., Rock Island! From now to Jan. 10, every night from 4 to 9 p.m. the outdoor gardens will be in winter bloom with over 130,000 glowing lights. Showcasing our largest light display yet, new areas of our outdoor gardens will be lit, including the Children’s Garden. Explore the lawns, pond and pocket gardens of our outdoor light exhibit. Open Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and the night... Read More

BREAKING: Chick-Fil-A may be coming to Rock Island in 2021, according to a source who asked not to be named, but who has knowledge of the situation. The source mentioned that the popular chicken chain was looking at at least two locations in Rock Island, one on the corner of 38th Street and 18th Avenue, across from Aldi, and the other one on 24th Street next to the new Dollar Tree store at 2252 24th Street. The franchise is seriously looking at the city for a new spot due to the massive, and somewhat unexpected, success of their pop-up stands they ran in the city over the summer, most notably in... Read More

Eleven cultural organizations and three artists in the Quad-Cities were among those to receive a share of $7 million in new grants announced Tuesday by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. A total of 267 cultural organizations and 152 artists serving 118 Iowa communities will get funding, made possible by the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, on Dec. 2. The department launched the Iowa Arts & Culture Recovery Program the same day and received more than 550 requests totaling more than $36 million by the Dec. 11 deadline. The list of recipients includes some of Iowa’s... Read More

One of the coolest new restaurants in Rock Island, and the Quad-Cities, is celebrating its opening with a ribbon cutting. The City of Rock Island will celebrate Curry-Out (1407 30th Street, Rock Island) at a ribbon cutting Tuesday, December 22nd at 2:00 p.m. The ceremony will be conducted by Mayor Mike Thoms. Curry-Out is a newly established family owned and operated business, serving authentic Indian cuisine with fresh, healthy and local ingredients, cooked together with love. In addition to their menu items, they can prepare numerous other dishes upon request. They can even arrange for pickups... Read More

Want to give in a profound way for the holidays? It’s time for the Season of Giving blood drive at Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island. It is time for our annual Season of Giving blood drive in Illinois! We’ll be at the Quad Cities Botanical Center on December 22 and December 23 from 2pm – 6pm. Each donor will receive their choice of gift card OR long-sleeved t-shirt. Appointments are required. Schedule yours here: bit.ly/2Lw9WCK For more info see here.  Read More

You ever wonder what happened to Strawberry Shortcake? You know, Strawberry Shortcake, the cartoon ginger who has had her artificially-scented life documented by various cartoons/animated reality TV shows over the past couple of decades before they got sent to the reeking dumpster of cancellation? Her friends were Lemon Meringue, Blueberry Muffin, Orange Blossom and Raspberry Torte, and they all had their own sickly sweet and sour personalities, but Strawberry Shortcake was the leader. Strawberry Shortcake debuted in 1980 as a child in the cartoons, so she’d be in her forties now. And like many... Read More

Quad City Arts is seeking applications for its annual Arts Dollars grants for the 2021 cycle. Applications are welcome from individual artists, K-12 schools, and non-profit organizations partnering with artists. All art forms are eligible. Since 1990, Quad City Arts has supported the local art community by awarding more than $1 million in grants to local artists, non-profit organizations, and schools. As in past years, this year Quad City Arts will grant $85,500 to local artists and organizations. The application process is competitive, and applicants are encouraged to apply before the deadline... Read More

Some call me a pessimist. Some call me a cynic. Some call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love. I prefer to think of myself as, no, not Maurice, but, rather, a pragmatist. A realist. And realistically, I don’t see the next few months going well in terms of covid-19. Today, Kim Reynolds is going to talk about potentially pulling back restrictions she put in place a month ago in regard to the pandemic ripping its way through the Midwest, and especially Iowa. Many think she’s going to pull back the restrictions. I don’t think she should. I know everyone wants to get back to... Read More