Why have seven of Davenport’s fifteen worst floods occurred in the last twelve years? On Saturday, April 17^th at 11:00 am, join our ALA-funded panel of experts as they view climate change through the lens of worsening local Mississippi River flooding. Interact with our Zoom panel including representatives from the National Weather Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Western Illinois University, and the City of Davenport.

Registration is required to receive Zoom meeting details. Register here: http://bit.ly/dpl-climatechangepanel

This program is provided by Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change, a pilot program of the American Library Association.

Keep up with our virtual programming on our Virtual Branch Calendar of Events at https://davenportlibrary.libcal.com/calendar/virtual.

This event is FREE and open to the public. For more information visit www.davenportlibrary.com or call the library at (563) 326-7832.

Kids Can Read Free At The Unicorn Library

Across the country, the destinies of many of America’s school libraries are on hold. They have been closed during the pandemic and it is not known when they will be able to reopen. But, two Davenport Community School District educators are dedicated to making sure that area kids still have quality books to read.

Shari Larsen, principal at Wilson Elementary School in Davenport, IA, and Amber Cravens, teacher of English Language Learners, developed a project that is putting books in the hands of children who are eager to read. That project, the Unicorn Library, became available to all students at Wilson Elementary in late January.

“A student can simply select a book, take it home and read it,” Cravens said. “They are free to keep the book, if they like. If they decide to return it, the book is sanitized, put in quarantine for 72 hours, and then returned to the books available for free check-out. Books are donated to the Unicorn Library, and anyone can donate, if they like.”

Cravens has a large personal library, so she started the project by allowing kids to pick books from that selection. Students from kindergarten to sixth grade can take books home, keep them, share them, or return them. If they do return them, they are quarantined and sanitized.

Wilson Elementary School is located at 2002 N. Clark Street, Davenport, IA. To find out more about the school, call (563) 723-6950 or visit http://www.davenportschools.org/wilson/.

To learn more about the Davenport Community School District, please visit http://www.davenportschools.org/.

Get A Free Concert With Your Vaccine

If you get your Covid vaccine at the Rock Island County mass vaccination clinic in Milan between April 14 and May 20, there will be something special that’s literally music to your ears.

Legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma gave an impromptu performance March 13 at Berkshire Community College’s gym in Massachusetts, after receiving his second Covid shot.

Taking inspiration from famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s recent impromptu performance during his Covid vaccine observation period, the Rock Island County Health Department and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) are partnering to bring live music to the mass vaccination site at Camden Centre in Milan.

“Vaccine Variations” is an initiative that arranges for one-hour performances by QCSO musicians starting April 14 in the patient observation area of the vaccination clinic. Due to Covid precautions, the performances will feature string musicians only.

All musicians will be masked and socially distanced during their performances. As a thank you for their decision to vaccinate, patients will receive a discount code valid for upcoming QCSO performances.

“We have given up so much of what makes life joyful because of the pandemic,”  Janet Hill, chief operating officer of the Rock Island County Health Department (RICHD), said Wednesday.

To make an appointment for the Milan vaccine clinic, visit https://richd.org or www.facebook.com/RockIslandCountyHealthDepartment.

Got A Fever To Be In ‘Fever’?

Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Rock Island, is seeking online submissions to fill open roles for their long-awaited summer production of “Saturday Night Fever.”

Production dates, including rehearsal, for the stage adaptation of the hit 1977 John Travolta movie musical, are July 1 – Sept. 11, 2021. The directorial team for this musical featuring the hits of the Bee Gees are director/choreographer Amy McCleary from Ft. Myers, Fla., and Quad-Cities favorite, musical director Ron May.

The Circa production is to open to the public in previews July 14-15, with the Friday night opening on July 16.

Those interested in being considered should submit a Bee Gees song or an upbeat disco-era song, a brief monologue, and a dance reel showcasing contemporary, athletic, sexy dance styles and any partnering dance experience. All roles in this professional production are paid.

The following roles in the show are available to be cast:

• Cesar (ensemble): Male; plays 19; Latino. A Spanish dancer at the Odyssey 2001 Night Club; One of the Faces; Excellent dancer, with strong partnering skills and lift experience, who sings well and plays various ensemble characters.
• Gus (ensemble): Male; plays 19; Italian-American; a friend of Tony’s. One of the Faces. A follower. Not afraid to lie to cover his own ass. Strong singer with solid upper range belt who can move and play various ensemble characters.; Brooklyn accent.
• 

  Candy (ensemble woman):25-40; prefer African-American, Latina, or mixed race; must be a dancer and killer vocalist, with star power who can hold a stage and who plays various ensemble characters.

• Maria (ensemble woman): plays 19; Latina; A dancer at the Odyssey 2001 Night Club; excellent dancer with strong partnering skills and lift experience, who sings very well, and plays various ensemble characters.
• Ensemble woman: plays 19; Caucasian; strong athletic dancer with partnering skills, who sings very well and plays various ensemble characters.

​The show character breakdown and information on open roles can be found at circa21.com/auditions.

All roles in this professional production are paid. Questions and submissions should be sent to producer Denny Hitchcock at dpjh@circa21.com no later than April 23, 2021.

Last Day For Cornhole!

For the first time ever, the American Cornhole League (ACL) will hold an event in the Quad Cities with the ACL Open #7 on April 9-11, 2021.

The ACL promotes and develops cornhole as a sport for any age and any skill level.  Their tournaments are regularly seen on ESPN.  There are 15 conferences across the U.S. and the Midwest Conference is home to one of the largest player bases in the country.

“We are thrilled that the American Cornhole League (ACL) will help the Quad Cities make history by hosting their first event in the QC and at the Bend XPO,” said Dave Herrell, President and CEO, Visit Quad Cities.  “The ACL and the sport is growing in the Midwest and throughout the country.  It is a privilege to welcome these competitors to our regional destination.  Sports tourism continues to deliver for the Quad Cities and the ACL is diversifying our portfolio of events as a host community.  We are grateful for this exciting new partnership and look forward to April.”

This tournament will have another first, as the first event to take place at the new Bend XPO in East Moline, Ill.  With 100,000 sq. ft. of flexible event space, 120 regulation cornhole courts will be able to fit inside Bend XPO.

It will be a three-day event including ACL Rounders, Singles, and Doubles. ACL Rounders is a Progressive Round Robin format. Players are required to play in the Saturday Rounders in order to compete in the open events on Saturday and Sunday. Spectators are allowed to watch tournament play. Admission is $5 per day or $10 for the three days.

Quad City Arts High School Art Show On Display

Quad City Arts presents the 44^th-annual High School Art Invitational at Quad City Arts Gallery in Rock Island, through April 29, 2021. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

The gallery (1715 2^nd Ave., Rock Island) will be open extended hours — until 8 p.m. — on April 1 and 29^th.  A virtual award presentation will

 

go live on Quad City Arts Facebook page on April 1^st, along with an online gallery where all of the entries can be viewed at www.quadcityarts.com/hs-invitational.html,

This exhibition features exemplary works of art selected by each high school art teacher in the region. On average, 16 schools, 28 teachers and over 170 students are provided the opportunity to show their artwork in a commercial art gallery and compete for over $4,000 in scholarships and prizes.

Primary sponsorship is provided by The William Butterworth Foundation. Scholarships are sponsored by the Morrisey Family Foundation, The Deere Employees Credit Union and Quad City Arts’ board members. Other awards are sponsored by Dphilms, Living Lands & Waters, Zimmerman Honda, the Left Bank Art League, The Rock Island Art Guild and local artists in the area of their expertise.

Quad City Arts is a nonprofit local arts agency dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the region through the arts. The Quad City Arts Center Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

For more information, visit www.quadcityarts.com.

Circa ’21’s ‘You Smell Barn’ Ongoing

Returning with the venue’s first mainstage production since area theaters closed in November, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is ready to bring audiences lots of deserved laughs and warmth in the local debut of The Church Basement Ladies in “You Smell Barn.” Running through May 15, the latest encounter with everyone’s favorite group of singing and joking Minnesotans is sure to put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. With all shows at the beloved Rock Island dinner theatre, this new musical comedy is being presented by an outstanding company of professional actors.

The Church Basement Ladies in “You Smell Barn” will be presented on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays evenings at 7:45 p.m., Sundays at 5:45 p.m. and Wednesday matinées at 1:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $56.55 for the evening performances and $49.73 for the matinées.

Because of the Phase 4 rules of Restore Illinois, capacity for each performance of The Church Basement Ladies in “You Smell Barn” is limited, and plated dinners will be served in lieu of the traditional buffet meals. For the safety of guests and staff members, face masks must be worn to enter the theater, when interacting with the staff and whenever guests are away from their tables.

Reservations are available through the Circa ’21 ticket office. For reservations, contact the theater at 1828 Third Ave., Rock Island. You also may call (309)786-7733 ext. 2.