Construction has begun on an addition to the Rock Island Fitness & Activity Center, located at 4303 24th Street. Construction is anticipated to be completed in October 2010.The new gymnasium and classroom space will host youth and adult sport leagues, special events, and school-break, fitness, arts, and special-interest programs. Planning for this expansion has been underway for several years, and more than $1 million has been saved for the project. The majority of the construction will be outside of the current building, so impact to current facility users should be minimal.

The producers of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition are looking for families whose homes desperately need to be rebuilt. To be eligible, a family must own a single-family home and be able to show producers how a makeover would make a difference in their lives. Interested families in either the Illinois or Iowa Quad Cities should e-mail a short description of their family story to iowacasting@gmail.com. Nominations may be submitted by the family or a member of the community. Each nomination must include the names and ages of every member of the household, along with a description of the challenges within the home. Anyone submitting a nomination should explain why the nominated family is deserving, heroic, and/or a good role model for its community. If possible, include a recent photo of the family. All nominations must include a contact phone number.

Mississippi Valley Directors of Volunteers in Agencies (MVDOVIA), in conjunction with Western Illinois University's Quad Cities campus, will present a day of learning and engagement for the volunteer sector on Thursday, November 5. "Generations of Engagement," MVDOVIA's 2009 conference and Western Illinois University's annual volunteer expo, will be held at the Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street in Davenport). The expo, at the conclusion of the conference, is a vehicle to showcase volunteer opportunities. Register online or learn more at MVDOVIA.org.

Wildwood Hills Ranch Leadership Camp is having a "Wild About the Child" barbecue and barn-dance fundraiser on Saturday, October 24, featuring dinner, dancing, a live auction, and bull-riding. The event will be held at Veritas Stables (7721 Utica Ridge Road in Davenport) starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person and will help send more than 100 at-risk kids to camp next summer. Call Jackie at (309)797-9300 for tickets and more information.

The City of Davenport Parks & Recreation Department will host its Pumpkin Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, at Fejervary Park (1800 West 12th Street). A $2 and/or food-item donation is recommended. The event will include physical-activity structures, a petting zoo, Sancho the Prize Winning Steer, games, pumpkin decorating, crafts, and more.

The Quad City Health Initiative is celebrating 10 years of creating a healthy community and is honoring its founding board chair, Bud Phillis, on Wednesday, November 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Watch Tower Lodge at Black Hawk State Historic Site (1510 46th Avenue in Rock Island). The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. To make a reservation, call (563)421-2826 or e-mail andersonre@genesishealth.com before November 11.

The Midwest Writing Center has announced Jennifer Perrine and Emma Rainey as the winners of the 2009 Great River Writer's Retreat. The winners receive seven nights' accommodation at Fulton's Landing Guest House on the Mississippi River, plus meal and travel stipends. Perrine and Rainey will read from their winning submissions on Friday, October 23, at 7 p.m. at the Midwest Writing Center, in the Bucktown Center for the Arts (225 East Second Street in Davenport).

The Luther College Concert Band will perform on Saturday, October 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Davenport West High School Gymnasium (3505 West Locust Street). For concert information, call (563)386-5500.

The Moline Public Library is forming a group for people 12 to 18 who love to write. The group will meet on Monday, October 26, at 7 p.m. at 3210 41st Street for a writing workshop with Ryan Collins of the Midwest Writing Center. After the workshop, the group will decide when and how often to meet. Registration is required; call (309)736-5737 to sign up. For more information, call (309)762-6883 or visit MolineLibrary.com.

Support the River Cities' Reader

Get 12 Reader issues mailed monthly for $48/year.

Old School Subscription for Your Support

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Old School Subscribe now.



Help Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93!

 

"We're the River Cities' Reader, and we've kept the Quad Cities' only independently owned newspaper alive and free since 1993.

So please help the Reader keep going with your one-time, monthly, or annual support. With your financial support the Reader can continue providing uncensored, non-scripted, and independent journalism alongside the Quad Cities' area's most comprehensive cultural coverage." - Todd McGreevy, Publisher