Getting Started with the Internet, Tuesday, September 3rd. 2:00 pm, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. This class will help you to use the Internet more effectively. Learn about some of the Library's databases, search engines, and how to move around online.  Reservation is required - space is limited.  Call the Rock Island Library's Reference Desk, 309-732-7341, to register.  Keyboarding and mouse skills required.

Registration is required - space is limited.  Call the Rock Island Library's Reference Desk, 309-732-7341, to register. No computer skills required.

Independent Movie Night, Thurs., Sept. 5, 6:00pm:

A young widow clinging to the memory of her late husband is profoundly affected by the arrival of a young photographer in her village.  97 minutes.Portuguese with English subtitles.

Movies (and popcorn) are free and open to the public. Movies are not rated; content may not be suitable for all.

Friends of the Rock Island Library host their monthly half-price book sale on Thursday, Sept. 5, 9:00am to 8:00pm, Rock Island 30/31 Branch Library, 3059 30th Street. Used book and material sale; benefits Rock Island Library programs.

Both events occur monthly on the first Thursday.

Lace up your shoes for a walk among "Reformers and Reprobates." From local reformers such as Miss Ellen Gale and Minnie Potter to the reprobates of the John Looney era, Rock Island history is full of fascinating saints and sinners.

Hear their stories through a downtown walking tour sponsored by the Rock Island Public Library on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Local historian Jill Doak will lead a tour that encompasses several Looney-era sites, including Bill Gabel's "soft drinks" establishment, Anthony Bilburg's saloon, the Looney and Kelly office building, and the former sites of the Como and Sherman Hotels, as well as the sites of Rock Island reformers, including the Rock Island Argus building,  the Potter House, Dr. DeSilva's home, the YMCA, several historic churches, and of course, the Rock Island Library. The tour meets at 6:00 pm inside the Main Library, 401 19th Street, and then leaves the library to move around the downtown. Registration is not required, but is appreciated. Walk-ins are welcomed.  Call 309-732-7303 or email lockheart.lisa@rigov.org to sign up, so we know not to leave you behind!

Learn About the WPA in the Quad Cities: The Rock Island Public Library will present Dr. Jeff Hancks from Western Illinois University for a program on The WPA in the Quad Cities on Monday, Sept. 16 at 2:00 pm in the Main Library, 401 19th Street. This free program will meet in the second-floor Community Room and is open to all ages.

The Works Project Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) were federal work relief programs begun under Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. As the largest and most ambitious of the Depression-era agencies, these programs employed millions to carry out construction, parks, and arts projects. Dr. Hancks will speak generally on the various relief projects carried out nationwide during the Great Depression and specifically on projects benefiting the Quad City area, such as the Rock Island Longview Park Greenhouse, Lock & Dam #15, the Moline Municipal Airport and Black Hawk State Park. Rock Island native Jeff Hancks is a special collections librarian at Western Illinois University in Macomb.

Proper Ladies & Painted Women: Women, Work, and Reform in a Wet City: Learn about the rich history of brewing in the Quad Cities, and how that industry affected the lives of local women, with a free lecture program by Augustana College professor Dr. Jane Simonsen on Thursday, Sept. 19 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The free program takes place in the Community Room of the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street, and is open to the public.  Dr. Jane Simonsen is an associate professor of history at Augustana College, where she specializes in U.S. women's history, gender studies and Native American studies.

Additional events going on at the Rock Island Library during the East West Riverfest time period include free morning and evening children's storytimes,  three "Smart Start" Saturday storytimes, free Lego block construction times, the "Ripples of Inspiration" art exhibit at the Main Library, adult classes in how to use Email and Microsoft Word, and an eBook demo at the Southwest Branch. For more details about library events, visit the Rock Island Library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org, sign up for an email newsletter, follow the library on Facebook or Twitter, or call 309-732-7323 (READ.)

Free copies of the East West Riverfest guide are also available at all Rock Island Public Libraries. More than 300 events at 60 different community venues are posted on the East West Riverfest website at www.eastwestriverfest.com.

Rock Island, IL: Teaching and mutual inspiration are at the center of "Ripples of Inspiration," a new group art show at the Rock Island Main Library in September. The group show features the works of art teacher Jane L. Koski and three former students, Megan Crandall-Cooper, Holly Kimball, and Jessica Bingham-Ott.  The show will be available for viewing during Main Library hours from Sept. 3 to 30 on the second floor of the Main Library, 401 19^th Street.

"In this exhibit, I want to honor what teaching means to me," says Mrs. Koski. "In partnering with former students, I am reminded that where once I sought to inspire them, they now inspire me.  . . . They have chosen to make art a part of their lives. Like a pebble thrown into the water, we are inspired by the ripples that touch us and overlap."

The artists will present a public reception for their show on Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 5:00 to 7:30 pm in the second-floor art gallery space of the Main Library. The reception is free and open to the public.

About the artists:

Jane Leifheit Koski is an graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University with a bachelor of fine arts in art education. She also studied at Drake University, St. Ambrose University, and Black Hawk College. Mrs. Koski taught art at Rock Island High School, Orion Middle School, and Orion High School for 28 years before retiring in 2009. "I'm calling myself an escape artist these days, instead of a painter. When I work, I want my art to give the viewer the experience of a moment of peace and reflection. . . .Trees and nature are a common subject for me as I explore texture and color."

Megan Crandall-Cooper graduated from  Augustana College in 2005 with a degree in liberal studies and studio art. She went on to study web design at Black Hawk College. She currently works as the program coordinator at the Sherrard Public Library, with previous jobs including work as a freelance photographer, production assistant, graphic designer/web designer, florist, costumer, substitute teacher and wedding planner. Past activities creating pixie teas at the Quad City Botanical Center led her to create a line of polymer fairy doors, houses and gardens, in addition to costumes and fairy floral creations. Her webpage at www.spritefystudios.com features several of her creations.                               

Holly Kimball is a native of Orion and a 2011 graduate of Coe College in Cedar Rapids. She earned a bachelor of arts in art with an emphasis on painting and drawing, and was the co-recipient of the Marvin Cone Art Prize. Her paintings and drawings have been exhibited in various shows, galleries and library exhibitions in Illinois and Iowa. "My personal response to subject matter is highly crucial to my working method. It is imperative that I seen something extraordinary in my chosen subject," writes Kimball. "I use a variety of materials to allude to my underlying process and the amalgamation of transient moments. My work, then, is more than just a final product; it serves as a record of the full experience."

Jessica Bingham-Ott is currently a masters-level graduate student in fine arts,  and a gallery assistant and photographer at Bradley University. She received her bachelor's degree in art in 2012 and post-baccalaureate fellowship certificate in 2013, both at Monmouth College. Her paintings focus mainly on organic abstraction through oil and mixed media paintings. "Using Mother Nature as a factual beginning, I explore various elements of what she has provided me. I look for organic patterns, textures, and movements to influence and use those images as guidelines to expand each piece to its full capacity," she writes.

For more details about Rock Island Library events, visit the Rock Island Library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org, sign up for an email newsletter, follow the library on Facebook or Twitter, or call 309-732-7323 (READ.)

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"FPSPI  selected Ames and Iowa State University because it is a beautiful, safe and welcoming community that has a variety of facilities, entertainment options and the support of both the university and the community, to make our international conference a success," said Marianne Solomon, executive director for the Future Problem Solving Program International. "Ames and Iowa State also have the professional event staff and volunteers who will take care of all the details and provide the services that will make our event run smoothly and be an enjoyable experience for everyone."

The Future Problem Solving Program International gives thousands of students the opportunity to practice creative problem solving within the given curriculum and develop leadership and creative thinking skills. The event will bring students from across the United States and from countries around the world to Iowa State University to compete in the event. The participating countries include Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Turkey and the United States.

Students in grades 4 through 12 will compete within three components including Global Issues Problem Solving, Community Problem Solving and Scenario Writing, competing either as individuals or as teams. Each component gives students the opportunity to apply research, writing skills, academics, research and problem solving skills to hypothetical and real life scenarios and issues. During this event, there will be opportunities for the community to enjoy the students' hard work. There will be a community fair and a variety show that the public is encouraged to attend.

"As a youth-focused educational conference, the Future Problem Solving International Conference is an event we are very excited to host in Ames and at Iowa State University," said Julie Weeks, director of the Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Conference Planning and Management. "The event is expected to bring 2,000 attendees and hundreds of additional visitors to the Ames community for an average of five nights each year during June 2014 and 2015."

"We are very excited that Iowa State University and Ames will be the host for the international conference in 2014 and 2015," said Karen Dadisman, affiliate director, Iowa Future Problem Solving Program." It is very fitting that we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Future Problem Solving Program International in Iowa in 2014, since Iowa was one of the original states to participate in this program."

For more information, visit www.fpspi.org or www.iowafutureproblemsolving.com

For more information, please contact:

Julie Weeks                          Shawne Ungs

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach,                             Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau

Conference Planning and Management and                                Communications Manager

Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau                         515.956.4602

Director                       shawneu@amescvb.com

515.956.4600