Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) affects millions of adults and children around the world. June 19th is World Sickle Cell Awareness Day and a great time to increase public knowledge and raise awareness about this potentially fatal disease. People are born with SCD. It is an inherited life-long disease that can run in families.

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Kick off your Fourth of July celebrations at the Annual Ice Cream Social presented by the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center. This family-friendly event will be held on Sunday, June 28th from 1 to 5 p.m. As always, there will be plenty of ice cream, desserts, children's activities, and live entertainment.

Families are encouraged to join the Family Bike Ride organized by the Melon City Bike Club and Harper's Cycling & Fitness. The group will depart from Discovery Park at 1 p.m. and will have the option of a short 3-mile round-trip ride or a longer 10-mile ride. Both rides will stop at the Art Center, and participants will receive a coupon for a free ice cream.

This year's entertainment begins with the family group "Tammy and the Fyffe's" at 1 p.m.; Chad Elliot of Wilderman's Treetop Tales will take the stage at 2 p.m.; and Muscatine favorite, "The Creepin' Charlies," will perform at 3:00 p.m.

Come inside and see the Art Center's new exhibitions: "Older than the State of Iowa: the 175th Anniversary of the Muscatine Journal" in the Musser Museum Gallery and "Pedal Power: Bicycles from the Collection of Charlie Harper" in the Stanley Gallery. The Muscatine Journal exhibition includes an interesting chronology with Orion Clemens purchasing an interest in the Journal in 1853 and the first issue of the "Daily Journal" in 1855. Highlights of the exhibit include two murals created for the Journal by Alva Runyon, displays of cameras, darkroom equipment, press tools and type, details on Editor John Mahin and the bombing of his home, and "Special Editions." The "Pedal Power" exhibition highlights Charlie Harper's collection to document the changing technology and design of American bicycles. It features 26 bicycles dating from 1886 to 1979 including 'highwheelers' dating to the late 1880s. The exhibition also includes a loan of an award-winning, custom-made bicycle from the Legacies for Iowa: A University of Iowa Museum of Art Collections Sharing Project, Supported by the Matthew Bucksbaum Family.

Activities for children include kids' games sponsored by Central State Bank, crafts in the studio, bike decorating, and demonstrations by Charlie and his grandsons on the 'highwheeler' bicycles. Freddie the Fire Truck will also put in an appearance thanks to the City of Muscatine Fire Department.

Admission to the Ice Cream Social and related events is free. All proceeds from sales of ice cream, desserts, and beverages go to the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center. Each year, the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center contribute financially toward the educational programs offered at the Art Center, provide scholarships for students to attend Art Center studio classes, and pay for busing for area schools to visit the Art Center.

The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine, Iowa. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday evenings until 7:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.

MUSCATINE ART CENTER

1314 Mulberry Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa 52761

563.263.8282

ALLIANCE, OH (06/17/2015)(readMedia)-- Courtney Wachal, a Senior French and Interntional Relations major of Bettendorf, Iowa, recently participated in the University of Mount Union's Concert Choir tour in Austria.

Directed by Dr. Grant William Cook III, associate professor of music and director of choral activities, the 49-member choir performed in Vienna, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck.

About the Concert Choir The University of Mount Union Concert Choir is among the oldest collegiate choirs in the United States, tracing its roots to 1896. Open by audition to all students on campus, the Concert Choir comprises musicians from a wide variety of academic disciplines and thus truly represents the University's strong liberal arts foundation. Serving as an ambassador of the University, the Concert Choir performs annually throughout the continental United States and undertakes an international tour every four years. The Concert Choir is dedicated to the rehearsal and performance of the highest quality choral literature from the Renaissance through the 21st century, including spirituals, gospel music, folk songs and music celebrating a global perspective. Recent performances include Joseph Haydn's Mass in B-flat, the so-called Theresienmesse, and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") with the Canton Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Maestro Gerhardt Zimmermann. In April 2015 the Choir will again join forces with the CSO for performances of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, op. 125 and "Choral Fantasy" in C minor, op. 180.

Coal Valley, IL - June 16, 2015 - Niabi Zoo visitors have become much more than just zoo visitors for the 2015 season and beyond. With its new Quarters for Conservation program, the Zoo has empowered its guests to become wildlife heroes.

Quarters for Conservation is a new initiative that was launched in earnest at the beginning of Niabi Zoo's 2015 season. Through this program, twenty-five cents from each paid admission is automatically contributed to Niabi Zoo's conservation fund, which supports multiple conservation projects taking place around the world. With thousands of visitors each year, these quarters are adding up to be a significant help for animals.

Not only are Niabi Zoo visitors contributing to global conservation efforts, they determine where their contribution goes. Upon entry into the Zoo, each visitor receives a token to cast their vote for one of four featured conservation projects. This token represents their twenty-five cent contribution and each conservation project will receive funding according to how votes are cast. Niabi Zoo visitors may also contribute their spare change to any of the conservation causes if they would like to support wildlife conservation even further.

"We are very excited to launch our Quarters for Conservation program," said Zoo Director Marc Heinzman, "and we have heard incredible feedback from our visitors as well." Heinzman said that Quarters for Conservation is a way for Niabi Zoo visitors to know that their visit to the Zoo actually means something and has an impact on global conservation. "We have been using the slogan 'Change for Change' when talking about this program, and it has really proven true as these small donations are turning into a driving force for the protection of wild animals and wild places."

Quarters for Conservation's inaugural slate of conservation projects represents a variety of animals and field work being done by globally respected organizations. Zoo visitors can vote to support the Snow Leopard Trust, the Jaguar Conservation Fund, The Ruaha Carnivore Project, or Association Mitsinjo. The projects supported by Niabi Zoo's Quarters for Conservation may change from year to year. Nearly $30,000 has been raised so far.