DES MOINES, IA - October 10, 2013 - Mediacom will send one of its Facebook friends to Los Angeles next month to attend a taping of the live talk show The Talking Dead hosted by Chris Hardwick. The unique sweepstakes, sponsored in partnership with AMC, gives The Walking Dead fans a chance to be part of the live action directly following the season finale.

Mediacom's The Walking Dead sweepstakes is open to anyone who visits the company's Facebook page and submits an entry form from October 6-26. Contestants must "like" the Facebook page and also click on the contest entry link. The winner will receive airfare for two, a two-night hotel stay, car rental, two tickets to the December 1 taping of The Talking Dead, and a $200 American Express gift card. Contest information can be found at www.facebook.com/mediacomcable.

The Walking Dead returns Sundays this fall beginning October 13, on AMC.

About AMC

Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, AMC brings to its audience something deeper, something richer, Something More. The network reigns as the only cable network in history ever to win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row, and boasts the most-watched drama series in basic cable history with The Walking Dead. AMC's original drama series include Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Low Winter Sun and Hell on Wheels. AMC also explores authentic worlds with bold characters through its slate of unscripted original series like Comic Book Men, Small Town Security, Talking Dead, Talking Bad and Freakshow. AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Something More.

About Mediacom:

Mediacom Communications is the nation's eighth largest cable television company and one of the leading cable operators focused on serving the smaller cities in the United States, with a significant concentration in the Midwestern and Southeastern regions. Mediacom Communications offers a wide array of broadband products and services, including traditional and advanced video services such as digital television, video-on-demand, digital video recorders, high-definition television, as well as high-speed Internet access and phone service. Through Mediacom Business, the Company offers affordable broadband communications solutions that can be tailored to any size business.

Mary Stevenson Cassatt was born into an upper-middle-class family near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 22, 1844. Though her family objected to her becoming a professional artist, Cassatt began studying painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at the young age of 15 and continued her studies from 1861 to 1865. Impatient with the slow pace of instruction Cassatt decided to end her studies, and move to Paris. Since women could not yet attend the >cole des Beaux-Arts, she applied to study privately with masters from the school and augmented her artistic training with daily copying in the Louvre.

In 1868 the French art scene was in a process of change: radical artists such as Courbet and Manet tried to break away from accepted Academic tradition and the Impressionists were in their formative years. Cassatt, on the other hand, would continue to work in the traditional manner, submitting works to the Salon for over ten years. She continued to express criticism of the politics of the Salon and the conventional taste that prevailed there but eventually she decided that she needed to move away from genre paintings and onto more fashionable subjects.

In 1877 she was invited by Edgar Degas to show her works with the Impressionists, a group that had begun their own series of independent exhibitions three years earlier. She accepted Degas' invitation and began preparing paintings for the next Impressionist show that took place in 1879. She exhibited in the next two Impressionist Exhibitions that followed, and remained an active member of the Impressionist circle until 1886, being one of the group's staunchest supporters.

After 1900, she concentrated almost exclusively on mother-and-child subjects, some of them reminiscent of Italian Renaissance depictions of the Madonna and Child. Her work was popular with the public and the critics, but she was no longer breaking new ground, and her Impressionist colleagues who once provided stimulation and criticism were dying off. She was hostile to such new developments in art as post-Impressionism, Fauvism and Cubism.

In 1914, after years of health problems, she was forced to stop painting as she became almost blind. Nonetheless, she took up the cause of women's suffrage, and in 1915, she showed eighteen works in an exhibition supporting the movement. She died June 14, 1926 at the age of 82 near Paris, France.

In 1992 the Muscatine Art Center's collections were significantly enriched by a gift of twenty-seven works of art by Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Degas, Boudin, Chagall, Renoir, and other European artists. The collection was a gift from the estate of Mary Musser Gilmore in honor of her parents, Richard Drew Musser and Sarah Walker Musser. The paintings are on permanent display in the Laura Musser Mansion.

EVENT DETAILS:

Lecture: The Life of Mary Cassatt

Who: Carol Ehlers

When: Thursday October 24, 2013

Time: 5:30 PM

Where: The Muscatine Art Center's Music Room

Admission to this program is FREE.

Please contact Katy Loos, Program Coordinator, with any questions or concerns at 563-263-8282 or by email at kloos@muscatineiowa.gov

The Muscatine Art Center is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday from 10 AM to 7 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM Admission is FREE.

Fourth Annual Conference Theme is "Developing Dreams"

MOLINE–The fourth annual Northwest Illinois Volunteerism Conference will be held Friday, Oct. 18 at the Western Illinois University Riverfront campus. This year's theme is "Developing Dreams," and the major focus of the conference will be engaging youth in service and combining faith-based, nonprofit, education and governmental organizations to address priority community needs.

KeeKee Pregracke will be the keynote speaker. She will talk about how her son Chad's childhood dream of cleaning the Mississippi River inspired him to develop Living Lands & Waters. Headquartered in East Moline, Living Lands & Waters has grown to be the only "industrial strength" river cleanup organization like it in the world. Chad will also deliver an inspiring video greeting to the group.

Another feature of the 2013 conference will be a Developing Dreams Panel Discussion led by Reverend Fred Nettles, chair of Governor Past Quinn's Serve Illinois Commission. Community leaders, including Moline Mayor Scott Raes, educators and other representatives will discuss how community groups can partner together to develop the dreams of urban and rural residents.

A variety of breakout sessions will be offered including working with youth, diversity, disabilities inclusion and understanding personality types.

Registration is $35 or $20 for students, AmeriCorps members, and seniors. This year's conference is co-sponsored by the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Serve Illinois Commission, and the Mississippi Valley Directors of Volunteers in Agencies.

For more information, contact Dave Layton at (309) 793-4425 or visit www.nwivc.net

October 19, 2013 - (Coralville, IA) - The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts will present Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing on Friday, October 18^th at 8 PM & midnight.  The 8 PM show features a special performance by the inimitable Megan Gogerty.  Tickets cost only $8, and are available via the CCPA Box Office: 319-248-9370.  The Box Office is open Wed/Thurs/Fri 11:00-1:00 & 4:00-6:00, and Saturdays 12:00-4:00, and one hour before ticketed performances.  Tickets are also available online 24 hours a day at www.coralvillearts.org.

"Joss Whedon has a huge fan base in this area," explains Nancy Mayfield, Patron Services Supervisor at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.  "But when Whedon's long-awaited film adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing was released in theaters, fans were devastated to learn that the closest showing was in Des Moines.  We are so thrilled to be able to present the film here in Coralville on the big screen.  Within hours of announcing our intentions, local Whedon fans were so enthusiastic we decided to add a midnight showing."

"Having Megan Gogerty open the 8:00 show will be a special treat," Mayfield continues.  "For the first time in years, she will perform from her Buffy the Vampire Slayer tribute album, I Miss Buffy.   Her songs are as hilarious and engaging as her plays.  The last time I saw her onstage, I laughed until I cried."

THE MOVIE

Writer/director Joss Whedon gives William Shakespeare's beloved battle-of-the-sexes comedy a contemporary makeover in this feature adaptation starring Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof. 2012, PG-13.

In the wake of an eventful trip abroad, Claudio (Fran Kranz) and Benedick (Denisof) arrive safely back in their hometown of Messina, where Claudio wastes no time declaring his love for Hero (Jillian Morgese). Alas, when clever Benedick learns that his friend has poured his heart out to the daughter of powerful governor Leonato (Clark Gregg), he chides his old friend relentlessly over the syrupy assertion while engaging Leonato's outspoken niece Beatrice (Acker) in a series of spirited debates. Meanwhile, somewhere amidst all of the pointed insults and playful barbs, something that strangely resembles true love seems to blossom between Benedick and Beatrice.

JOSS WHEDON:

Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon (born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, film and television producer, director, comic book author, composer, and actor. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-founder of Bellwether Pictures. He is best known as the creator of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Angel (1999-2004), Firefly (2002-2003), Dollhouse (2009-2010) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-present) as well as Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008). Whedon co-wrote Toy Story (1995), wrote and directed Serenity (2005), co-wrote and produced the horror film The Cabin in the Woods (2012), and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel'sThe Avengers (2012), the third highest-grossing film of all time.

Whedon is notable for his work in the comic books Astonishing X-Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics, Angel: After the Fall and Runaways, and his collaborations in online media. Many of Whedon's projects have cult status.

MEGAN GOGERTY:

The 8 PM event will feature a special introduction by the inimitable Megan Gogerty.  Gogerty is a playwright, monologuist, and songwriter. She will perform from her Buffy the Vampire Slayer tribute album, I Miss Buffy.

THE CCPA:

Owned and operated by the City of Coralville, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to enriching the community and contributing to the vitality of Coralville by offering an accessible, affordable venue for a variety of performances, presentations, and public and private events.  The 472 seat theater opened August 26, 2011 and has hosted performances from City Circle Acting Company, Orchestra Iowa, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Dan Knight, Lola Astanova, Lorie Line, Judy Carmichael, Jim McDonough, Nolte Academy of Dance, and many others.  Coralville schools are also able to use the Center free of charge up to three times per year; 16 school events took place at the Center in the 2012-2013 school year. The Center was named 2012 Member of the Year by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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