maurices, a leading national specialty store for savvy, fashion-conscious customers with a 20-something attitude, has named Sarah Troutwine as Store Manager at their NorthPark Mall location in Davenport. Ms. Troutwine is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the store, including sales performance, visual presentation, and personnel recruitment and training.

About maurices

Established in 1931, maurices is wholly owned by dressbarn inc. (NASDAQ: DBRN). maurices is the leading small town specialty store for the savvy, fashion-conscious girl with a twenty-something attitude. Today, maurices operates over 740 stores in 44 states. maurices stands for fashion, quality, value and personalized customer service. Offering sizes 1-24, styles are inspired by the girl in everyone, in every size. For store information and to shop online visit maurices.com.

The Rock Island Beautification Commission is looking for the most beautiful yards in the city.

The 36th annual "Tell On Your Neighbor" residential beautification awards contest has opened nominations for the most attractive and best-kept lawns in Rock Island. Anyone can submit a nomination and they will be accepted through Friday, June 25th at 5:00 p.m. Nominations after this date will not be accepted.

This awards program recognizes residents who make the extra effort to beautify their yards beyond the norm. The Beautification Commission believes these citizens should be honored for their efforts and for encouraging others to keep well-groomed yards that are an asset to the city.

The Commission is looking for well-maintained yards with attractive, colorful displays of flowers, bushes and plants. The commission wishes to honor residents who take the time to show pride in their homes and neighborhoods. In the past 35 years, over 530 residents have been recognized. All winners will receive a certificate of recognition at a City Council meeting (date to be announced).   Award recipients after 2005 are not eligible.

The Beautification Commission is a group of Rock Island citizens appointed by the Mayor and City Council to encourage individuals and groups to beautify Rock Island.

Just five weeks after winning the Quad-City round of the Iowa Blues Challenge, the Steady Rollin' Blues Band emerged victorious from the final round of the Challenge in Des Moines on May 22. The prize package includes studio recording time and a slot on the IH Mississippi Valley Blues Fest for July 3 as well as money to help support the band's trip to Memphis next January, where they will represent Iowa in the International Blues Challenge.

Steady Rollin' is made up of seasoned pros that have been part of the Quad-Cities music scene for over 15 years. Their music is good to dance to and features different styles of blues from jazz to funk and R & B, Memphis to Chicago, with covers of artists like Tyrone Davis, Bobby Bland, and Marvin Sease. Craig Bentley is on guitar, Perry Hultgren on keyboards, Jimmy VanHyfte on drums, Tom Norman on bass, and Jimmie Lee Adams on vocals.

The Steady Rollin' Blues Band plays every Thursday night at Rascals in Moline, and they will open the IH Mississippi Valley BluesFest activities on the Bandshell on Saturday July 3 at 1:00pm.

Five bands from across the state competed in the final round of the Iowa Blues Challenge. Trouble No More, the Bob Pace Band featuring Steve E. George, Bella Soul Blues Revolution featuring Tina Haase Findlay, and Stoney Ground were the other performers that gave the Steady Rollin' Blues Band a run for their money. Steady Rollin' follows in a tradition that has seen the Quad-Cities entrants in the Iowa Blues Challenge walk away with the top prize, including the Avey Brothers Band in 2008 and 2009.

The Iowa Blues Challenge is produced by the Central Iowa Blues Society, with support from the Lizard Creek Blues Society and the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.

(Moline, IL) Skip-a-Long keeps tracks of their alumni and each year awards an academic scholarship to help a former student with college costs.  This year's winner is Nicole Johnston.  She was a student of Skip-a-Long from 1992 to 2002.  Nicole is planning on attending Black Hawk College and then Western Illinois University and is grateful for the $750.00 scholarship to pursue her dream of a career in criminal justice. "I can honestly say that going to Skip-a-Long made me the person I am today," says Nicole. "Everything I did there helped me learn about the basic traits a good person should have."

The Virgie Wells Educational Scholarship was established in 2004.  Since its inception, more than $5,000 has been given out to former students who plan on becoming full-time students at an accredited college or university.  The scholarship is open to any graduating senior of the Quad Cities high school who is a former Skip-a-Long student and is graduating from high school with a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher.

Virgie Wells was an advocate of higher education.  She was a teacher at Skip-a-Long for 30 years and touched the lives of many children and families.

Johnson will receive her scholarship at the June 2nd Skip-A-long board meeting. You can interview Johnson by calling her home 309-523-2873 or her cell 309-631-5823.

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You're invited to come out to St. Mark Ev. Lutheran Church and enjoy our Summer Concert Series.  The following performances are scheduled:

  • Organ Recital & Hat Show

June 13th at 3PM

Kirstin Synnesvedt

  • Piano Dedication Recital

July 11th at 3PM

Featuring St. Mark Choirs and Musicians

  • Organ Recital

August 1st at 3PM

Featuring Ellen Bowlin

Assisted by Lisa Crews, Flute, andMaureen Currier, Cello

All recitals are free and open to the public!  St. Mark is located at 2363 West Third Street in Davenport.  Please call 563-322-5318 or visit www.stmarkcares.org if you have any questions.

We are recruiting volunteers to help with our new and fun special events at the German American Heritage Center Museum! We are in need of volunteers who would like to help plan and/or coordinate these events. New events will include a German Festival, beer tastings, and German Christmas Gala. Please contact ach@gahc.org if you are interested!
Did you know that our entire fourth floor was totally rennovated into a beautiful banquet hall space? Windows wrap around the space offering amazing views of the Mississippi River and Downtown Davenport during the day. At night, the space transforms into an elegant setting with spectacular views of a vibrant downtown and the lighted Centennial bridge.

Our banquet hall holds 100 people and offers all of your audio visual needs. As an added bonus for you, when you rent our banquet hall your guests will enjoy $1 off admission to the museum during your rental time.

If you are intersted in viewing our banquet space for a possible rental, please email director@gahc.org or contact 563-322-8844.

Banquet Hall Rental Rates
$225 FOR UP TO 3 HOURS (NON-MEMBER RATE)
$175 FOR UP TO 3 HOURS (MUSEUM MEMBER RATE)
$100 PER ADDITIONAL HOUR

MOLINE, ILLINOIS - WQPT welcomes Super WHY to the Quad Cities for a week of educational and entertaining activities beginning June 15, 2010. Super WHY is based on the hit PBS series that helps kids learn to read.  Whyatt, the super-powered star of Super WHY, is flying in from Storybook Village to meet his local fans.

You and your kids can join in the fun and learning:

On Tuesday, June 15, Super WHY will hold a meet and greet for families at the Moline Library at 2 p.m. WQPT will host a short workshop and several literacy activities based on the Super Readers --Alpha Pig, Princess Presto, Wonder Red and Super WHY-- and their amazing adventures.

On Wednesday, June 16, Super WHY will be visiting the River Bandits at Modern Woodman Park in Davenport, IA to throw out the first pitch of the evening. Kids can meet Super WHY, receive a tattoo and activity sheet and get a photo.

On Saturday, June 19 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, our Super WHY star will be welcoming the crowds at the Healthy Living Fair at the downtown Farmer's Market in Davenport, IA. Bring your kids for activities focused on health and fitness.

If you're anxious to meet Super Why and avoid the large crowds, sign up for a WQPT Kid's Club Membership ($75). Families will be invited to a more intimate gathering on Thursday evening, June 17 with special activities just for them.

Super WHY is the only preschool program created to help kids learn the fundamentals of reading through interactive storybook adventures. The standout, imagination-stimulating series focuses on the adventures of four fairytale friends who transform into reading-powered superheroes: Alpha Pig with Alphabet Power, Wonder Red with Word Power, Princess Presto with Spelling Power, Super Why with the Power to Read and Super YOU with the Power to Help. Together, they are the "Super Readers"! In every fantastical episode of Super WHY! young viewers dive directly into a pop-up story to experience a brightly-illustrated children's tale brought to magical life.

Super WHY airs on WQPT Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m. For more information contact Amanda or Karen at 309-796-2424, 800-747-2430 or wqpt@wiu.edu.

WQPT is a broadcast service of Western Illinois University - Quad Cities.

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DES MOINES, IA (05/25/2010)(readMedia)-- The 2010 Iowa State Fair free stage entertainment is packed with stars from all music genres. The line-up features some of the nation's hottest acts, all free with gate admission. The "Non Stop Fun" runs August 12-22.

Country artist Jake Owen has celebrated five consecutive hit singles, including "Eight Second Ride," "Startin' With Me," "Something About A Woman" and "Don't Think I Can't Love You," and was named the Academy of Country Music's 2009 "Top New Male Vocalist."

Vanilla Ice ("Ice, Ice Baby") and Tone Loc ("Wild Thing") team up for an evening with the legends of hip hop, and Davy Jones of The Monkees ("I'm a Believer") will take audiences back to the 60s with all his hits.

A complete listing of event dates, times and locations follows:

Anderson Erickson Dairy Stage sponsored by KCCI NewsChannel 8

August 12-14: The Nadas (7 & 9 p.m.)

August 15: Legends of Hip Hop featuring Vanilla Ice and Tone Loc (8 p.m.)

August 16-17: Think Floyd USA (7 & 9 p.m.)

August 18: David Nail (8 p.m.)

August 19: Love and Theft (8 p.m.)

August 20: Green River Ordinance (7 p.m.)

August 21: The Blue Band (7 & 9 p.m.)

August 22: The Blue Band (5:30 & 7:30 p.m.)

Anne and Bill Riley Stage sponsored by Pepsi

August 12: Sioux City Rockestra (7 & 9 p.m.)

August 13: Ryan Cabrera (7 & 9 p.m.)

August 14: Iowa State Fair Queen Coronation (7 p.m.)

August 15: Fastball (7 & 9 p.m.)

August 16-21: Vocal Trash (7 & 9 p.m.)

August 22: The Grass Roots (8 p.m.)

Budweiser Stage sponsored by ABC5

August 12: Davy Jones of The Monkees (8 p.m.)

August 13-14: Ides of March featuring Jim Peterik (8 p.m.)

August 15-17: The Buckinghams (7:30 & 9:30 p.m.)

August 18-19: Atlanta Rhythm Section (7:30 & 9:30 p.m.)

August 20: The Family Stone (8 p.m.)

August 21: Richie Lee and the Fabulous Fifties (7:30 & 9:30 p.m.)

August 22: Richie Lee and the Fabulous Fifties (4:30 & 6:30 p.m.)

Susan Knapp Amphitheater with media sponsor KDSM FOX 17

August 12: Jake Owen (8:00 p.m.)

August 13: Bomshel (7:30 & 9:30 p.m.)

August 14: Whitney Duncan (7:30 & 9:30 p.m.)

August 15-16: Jason Brown (7:30 & 9:30 p.m.)

August 17: Justin Moore (8:00 p.m.)

August 18-19: Hairball (7:30 & 9:30 p.m.)

August 20: Colt Ford (7:30 & 9:30 p.m.)

August 21: Country Gold featuring Leroy Van Dyke, T.G. Sheppard,

Jimmy Fortune and Lacy J. Dalton (6 & 8:30 p.m.)

August 22: Eli Young Band (8 p.m.)

Fun Forest Stage (all shows ASL interpreted)

There will be no 11, 11:30 or Noon shows on Friday, August 13th due to VSA opening ceremonies

August 12-22: The Fast Horses (11:30 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m.)

August 12-22: Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop (Noon, 2 & 4 p.m.)

August 12-22: Doc Anderson's Traveling Medicine Wagon Show presented by VSA Iowa Fest (11 a.m., 1, 3 & 5 p.m.)

The Iowa State Fair is set for "Non Stop Fun" August 12-22, 2010. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit iowastatefair.org.

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April '10 was second best April on record

(Moline/Quad Cities) - It was announced today at the Metropolitan Airport Authority monthly board meeting that April, 2010, was the second best April in history. 37,735 passengers were enplaned, 377 passengers shy of the record held by April '08. Total passengers for the year are up 6% over 2009.

"Whenever we have flights added back into the daily schedule, we see an increase in passenger traffic," Bruce Carter, Director of Aviation said. "Two flights were added by Delta on April 6th to Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit, and another daily flight will be added to Memphis in early June. With the addition of these flights, there are more than 200 daily seats available to our passengers."

In other news, a historical photo display has been unveiled at the Art@ the Airport gallery located across from the restaurant. The gallery features a series of enlarged photos from the early years of Moline aviation including special flight landings, a series of the interior of the 1954 terminal, a display of hanging model airplanes, and much more. An "Aviation Adventure" contest is being held in conjunction with other area agencies including the Putnam/Imax, Quad City Air show, Quad City Arts, and the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau. More information about the Aviation Adventure, including details about the grand prize being offered, can be found by clicking on the aviation adventure link at qcairport.com, under the contests & specials button.

The eighth "Honor Flight of the Quad Cities" is scheduled to depart Wednesday morning May 26th at 7:00 a.m. and return at approximately 10:30 p.m. The public is welcome to greet the veterans upon their return, after they have spent the day visiting the WWII memorial, and other historic memorials and monuments.

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