An edifice no doubt familiar to Quad Citians who routinely venture through Davenport's Hamburg Historic District, the history behind stately mansion at 1208 Main Street – and the prominent German lawyer, businessman, mayor, and art connoisseur who once lived there – will be explored in the Davenport Public Library's December 21 presentation Charles A. Ficke: The Man and His Mansion, a fascinating virtual program by Dr. William Roba.

A special, holiday-themed presentation in the Davenport and Rock Island Public Libraries' World War I lecture series, the virtual program The Christmas Truce of 1914 will, on December 16, invite viewers to learn more about the inspiring event that found roughly 100,000 British and German troops involved in informal cease-fires along the Western Front.

Delivered as part of the Davenport Public Library's virtual 3rd Thursday at Hoover's Presidential Library & Museum programming, the museum's archivist Craig Wright will present the December 17 Zoom webinar The 1929 Christmas Eve White House Fire, telling of the four-alarm emergency that led to dozens of engines and ladder companies working to extinguish the inferno.

For the second presentation in radio station WVIK and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's 2020-21 Signature Series, the area instrumental ensemble gets seasonal, and virtual, in its December 12 concert event Holiday Brass, a repertoire of traditional pop and classical tunes that will be available for additional viewing a full 30 days after the Saturday-evening program ends.