Bettendorf ? Get ready to explore with Dora and Diego at the Family Museum in the new exhibit Dora and Diego?Let's Explore! The exhibit features beloved characters Dora and Diego from Nickelodeon's hit preschool series Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, along with their friends Boots, Map, Backpack, Isa, Tico, and of course Swiper, now in their own exhibit for your preschooler to explore as they learn and play along.

This new, interactive traveling exhibition was created by The Children's Museum of Indianapolis in partnership with Nickelodeon, presented by the WellPoint Foundation, and made possible locally by DHCU Credit Union, Scott County Regional Authority, Anne E. Whitman, Riverboat Development Authority, and the Family Museum Foundation. The exhibit will be open Saturday, May 24 through Sunday, September 14, 2014.

Media and their families are invited to the ribbon cutting and member-only opening on Friday, May 23 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. The QC Chamber will cut the ribbon at 5:30 pm.

Dora the Explorer follows the adventures of the 7-year-old Latina heroine Dora and her friends in an imaginative, tropical world. Go, Diego, Go! stars Dora's 8-year-old cousin Diego, a bilingual animal rescuer who protects animals and their environment. The exhibit gives children and their families the opportunity to go into the worlds of Dora and Diego to engage in problem-solving and active play. Young children play along as they join an adventure and learn how to solve problems, be a good friend, and care for animals and the environment. Spanish vocabulary is incorporated throughout the exhibit to introduce Spanish-speaking skills to preschool children.

Dora the Explorer is a ground-breaking children's series that draws kids into an interactive quest using a variety of learning techniques in every episode. Dora and Diego?Let's Explore! carries the play-along theme throughout the exhibit as children are encouraged to actively play while they solve problems, share and learn about the natural world.

Favorite friends and places from episodes of Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Do! are incorporated in the exhibit including:

The Purple Planet

Visit the Purple Planet with Dora and Boots! A Purple Planet home invites young visitors to climb inside and slide down on the surface of the Purple Planet.

Rocket Ship

Dora's outer-space friends want to go back to the Purple Planet and need help getting there. Aboard the Rocket Ship, preschoolers are invited to put on a spacesuit, pilot the ship, and test their memory with images of colorful planets as they help Dora and Boots take their outer-space friends home.

Constellations

On the way to the Purple Planet, Dora and Boots encounter some interesting star groupings. Children and their families are invited to help identify the patterns made out of stars by inserting star shapes to light-up a constellation.

Isa's Flowery Garden

Dora's friend Isa the Iguana demonstrates how to take care of flowers, plants, and animals. Preschool visitors can tour Isa's Garden to pick flowers, interact with bird, butterfly, and insect puppets, and pretend-fly with toddler-sized bird and butterfly wings. Even the littlest visitors will enjoy smelling the flowery scents and picking soft-fabric posies.

Tico's Tree and Car

Dora is a good friend to Tico the squirrel and young visitors are invited to be a good friend to Tico too. Tico needs help picking nuts from the tree for a family picnic. Children can play along with Swiper to swipe the nuts and watch as they shoot up and over to fill Tico's basket. Tico's car is in need of fuel! Visitors can help Tico fill up his car with nuts so he can begin his journey.

Pirate Ship

In the Pirate Ship, preschoolers can join the Pirate Piggies crew and dress like a pirate to pretend-play along sailing the ship and divvying up the treasure. Visitors can raise and lower the Pirate Piggies' flag, look through the telescopes to spot the treasure chest and then divvy up the coins into the Pirate Piggies' banks and help them share the treasure.

Animal Rescue Center

Young children can practice caring and helping rainforest animals in Diego's Animal Rescue Center. Preschoolers can be an animal rescuer, like Diego, as they diagnose and address an animal's problem from the 'Scanner' bed, bandage and apply cold packs at the 'First-Aid Station,' and bathe stuffed animals at the 'Care Station.'

Rainforest Maze

Preschoolers will explore a rainforest to locate rainforest animals. Active play is encouraged as children swing across the Bobo Brothers' monkey bars, crawl through a fallen tree, climb across Jaguar Mountain, and jump or hop across the River Rocks.

Figge Art Museum is one of more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the Department of Defense

Davenport, IA (May 21, 2014) - Today the Figge Art Museum announced the launch of Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation's active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2014. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. The program provides families an opportunity to enjoy the nation's cultural heritage and learn more about their new communities after a military move. The complete list of participating museums is available at arts.gov/national/blue?star?museums.

The Figge currently offers free admission for active duty military personnel and their families all year round, but this partnership with Blue Star Museums provides a platform to showcase the museum to the military community nationwide. "We have world-class traveling exhibitions that are constantly changing, so it is exciting that active duty military members and their families have the opportunity to experience those exhibitions first-hand free of charge anytime they wish," said Figge Executive Director Tim Schiffer.

This is the fifth year for Blue Star Museums and there are more than 2,000 (and counting) museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa taking part in the initiative. Museums are welcome to join Blue Star Museums throughout the summer.

About Blue Star Museums

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America. The program runs from Memorial Day, May 26, 2014 through Labor Day, September 1, 2014.

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173?1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military ? Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps ? and up to five family members. Some special or limited?time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly. To find participating museums and plan your trip, visit arts.gov/national/blue?star?museums.

All summer long, Blue Star Museums will share stories through social media. Follow Blue Star Museums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily, #BlueStarMuseum, on Facebook and read the NEA Art Works blog for weekly stories on participating museums and exhibits.

Museums that wish to participate in Blue Star Museums may contact bluestarmuseums@arts.gov, or Wendy Clark at 202?682?5451.

This is the latest NEA program to bring quality arts programs to the military, veterans, and their families. Other NEA programs for the military have included the NEA/Walter Reed Healing Arts Partnership; Great American Voices Military Base Tour; and Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour.

About Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street.  Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays 12-5 p.m. Thursdays the museum is open until 9 p.m. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members and free to all on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is a national, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, dedicated to supporting, connecting and empowering military families. With our partners, Blue Star Families hosts a robust array of morale and empowerment programs, including Books on Bases, Blue Star Museums, Operation Honor Corps, Blue Star Careers and Operation Appreciation. Blue Star Families also works directly with the Department of Defense and senior members of local, State and Federal government to bring the most important military family issues to light. Working in concert with fellow nonprofits, community advocates, and public officials, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life and works to make military life more sustainable. Our worldwide membership includes military spouses, children, parents, and friends, as well as service members, veterans and civilians. To learn more about Blue Star Families, visit www.bluestarfam.org. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.

June 21^st and 22^nd 2014 BBQ and Craft Brew will take over LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA.

On the 21^st from 12-5 there will be a craft brew tasting including local wine and specialty cheese and sausages.

At 4 the park will come alive with music provided by Rascals Live from Moline, IL.

BBQ Teams have been checked in and will start prepping to cook the BBQ. The 4^th Annual Kansas City Barbeque Society will be underway with 30+ World Class Teams as seen on Pit Masters competing for cash, trophies, points and bragging rights.

On the 21^st there is an Amateur BBQ Competition. Registration and meat inspection begin at 8 A.M. followed by a cooks meeting at 10 A.M. From 4:25-4:35 P.M. teams will turn in their ribs. Trophies will be awarded at 5 P.M.

On the 22^nd at 11 A.M. registration for the Brew Cruise Bike Ride opens. The ride will start and end at Front Street Tap House and stops will include Great River Brewery, Sippi's, and both the Rock Island and Moline Bent River locations. The ride begins at noon and prizes will be awarded 4:30 P.M.

BBQ Judging will start Sunday at noon. Trophies will be awarded at approximately 3 P.M.

This event is benefiting the Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities.

For more information call IOP at 309-799-7469 or visit www.IOPRO.net

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is among the U.S. senators urging the Administration to give full consideration to the domestic steel industry's concerns about unfairly priced imports in a case that the manufacturer says caused reduced operating hours at a facility in Camanche in Clinton County.

"We write to express our concerns with the Commerce Department's preliminary determination in the antidumping investigation of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) imports from Korea," Grassley and fellow senators wrote to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "This case has nationwide economic implications, and any final determination must be based on accurate data and objective methodologies.  As the Department continues the investigation, we ask that you fully consider the domestic industry's allegations and take action against any unfair dumping to the fullest extent of the law."

The trade case before the U.S. Department of Commerce involves Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG).  These products are used for domestic oil and gas exploration ? especially shale ? and are produced by companies including TMK IPSCO.  The company has reduced operating hours at several facilities, including its facility in Camanche, over "increasing pressure from unfairly traded imports."

Grassley and his fellow senators urged the Department of Commerce to consider all of the data associated with this case and fully enforce U.S. trade laws to ensure American businesses and workers are not harmed by unfairly priced imports.

The letter Grassley signed is available here.

A press release from TMK IPSCO is available here.