Davenport, IA / July 16, 2012 - Local residents will have a chance to tour Living Lands & Waters' new Teamwork Barge Thursday, August 9th from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m at the Lake Davenport Sailing Club at Oneida Avenue and River Drive.  The 150-foot long barge features a handicapped-accessible classroom, which can host up to 60 students at a time, as well as sleeping quarters for an 8 person Living Lands & Waters crew.  The LL&W crew will be providing tours of the new classroom during the annual Barge Party, a celebration and appreciation event for volunteers and supporters of the environmental group.  Chad Pregracke and his Living Lands & Waters' staff and crew will be on hand to celebrate fifteen years of river cleanups, environmental education workshops, the MillionTrees project and engaging communities in river stewardship. 

The menu for this year's Barge Party will feature a fish fry & shrimp boil and Root Beer floats featuring River Rat Root Beer and Whitey's Ice cream.  The Barge Party will also feature live music by Alan Sweet and Justin Morrissey and a silent art auction, featuring the works of nearly a dozen regional artists who donated river-inspired pieces, including salvaged material sculptures, mixed media painting, folk art, driftwood pieces, quilts and glass art.  Chad Pregracke will update guests on the progress they've made this year. "We couldn't keep these barges running, making the river a cleaner place, without the support of Quad-Citians who volunteer and support Living Lands & Waters. It all makes a difference and we are so grateful," said Chad Pregracke, Founder & President of Living Lands & Waters. Tickets for the event are $35 per person. Reservations can be made by calling the office at (309) 496-9848 or going to their website www.livinglandsandwaters.org. Spots are limited, so please make your reservation soon to guarantee a seat.

Teachers interested in exploring a workshop for their students should contact Tammy Becker at LL&W:  tammy@livinglandsandwaters.org. "We have had over 1,600 teachers in our Educational Workshops dating back to 2003.  The new barge will create an opportunity for thousands of students to experience the river first hand" said Pregracke.   Also on display at the barge party will be LL&W's new one-thousand horse power tow boat which is needed to push the new floating classroom.  The floating classroom was made possible by the generous support of five of LL&W's long-term partners:  Cargill, ADM, Caterpillar, AEP River Operations and Ingram Barge Company, as well as hundreds of area union carpenters and skilled tradesmen.

The Living Lands & Waters Barge Party is held in appreciation of volunteers, supporters and fans of LL&W's efforts, as a celebration of the power of committed staff, volunteers and sponsors working together to meet an important need.

Chad Pregracke started Living Lands & Waters in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the beautification and restoration of America's major rivers and to the education of people about environmental issues. From his single boat beginning, LL&W has grown into an internationally known organization with a fleet of barges and workboats.  LL&W engages thousands of volunteers each year in river cleanups, hands-on environmental education workshops, the Great Mississippi River Cleanup, Adopt-a- River-Mile programs and the MillionTrees Project.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a letter to the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Congressman Dave Loebsack, and Congressman Bruce Braley today urged the Administration to reconsider its proposed closure of the Clinton field office.  In late June, the SSA informed members of Congress and officials in Clinton of their plans to close the field office this September.  This office currently serves the 49,000 residents of Clinton County, including over 10,000 current Social Security beneficiaries, who would have to travel to Davenport to visit a Social Security office if the closure goes forward.

"We are very concerned with this proposed closure and urge you to reconsider," wrote the lawmakers.  "The number of visitors to the Clinton office has increased each of the last three years, from 180 visitors per week in 2009 to 210 in 2012.  Many of these individuals would have to travel up to 40 miles further to the Davenport office.  In addition, by consolidating these offices, the number or Iowans who have to use the new Davenport office will now exceed the national average population served by a field office.

"While we understand the budget constraints facing the agency, we are particularly concerned with the impact this will have on the ability of low-income and disabled residents to communicate with the Social Security Administration," they concluded.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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Davenport, IOWA (July 2012) The Figge Art Museum will be hosting the one-day exhibit Papergirl Quad Cities, which will run from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm on Thursday, July 19^th in the Figge's Lobby. Papergirl Quad Cities will showcase works that will be distributed as part of the Papergirl Quad Cities project. Papergirl collects all kinds of artwork from anywhere to be bundled up and distributed for free by bicycle.

Papergirl Quad Cities is part of a global project that aims to open the art world into the urban streets of everyday life. What began in Berlin in 2006 as a response to other forms of street art?such as graffiti and stencils?is now an international movement that seeks to surprise people by upturning the predictability of day-to-day life. Papergirl also seeks to make people aware of how art is ever-present in daily living. In short, Papergirl is participatory, analogue, non-commercial and impulsive.

Papergirl Quad Cities has been organized by East Moline native Glorie Iaccarino.  Ms. Iaccarino will give the talk "Public Art Philanthropy" at 6:00pm on Thursday, July 19.  This talk will focus on the three core areas of the Papergirl project: Art, Philanthropy and Bikes.  During the talk Ms. Iaccarino will discuss the importance of Public Art and will provide examples of public art, places that benefit from public art, and the five types of public art.  This talk is offered in conjunction with "Thursdays at the Figge". From 5pm-8pm guests will have the opportunity to create their own original works to donate to the project.

"As an artist and community-teaching artist, I believe anyone can learn how to create art and develop his or her creativity. I see a formula: Skill, perception, and product. It is in the perception that passion is born and the product is a gift in which we, as observers, engage. With Papergirl Quad Cities, we are offering opportunities in which to engage," stated Ms. Iaccarino.

About the 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. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit our website, www.figgeartmuseum.org.

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