River Action's Channel Cat Talks and Riverine Walks -- August 3 through September 1.
Channel Cat Talks: Thursday, August 4, through Thursday, September 1
Riverbend Commons Dock, 2951 East River Drive, Moline IL
Riverine Walks, Wednesday, August 3, through Saturday, August 27
Various Quad Cities Locations
Delivering a blend of local history, environmental issues, education, entertainment, and fresh air, Davenport's River Action is again presenting a series of outdoor presentations in the final month of the annual Channel Cat Talks and Riverine Walks: weekly programs that, from August 3 through September 1, will address such topics as improvements to the Lock & Dam 15, green rooftops, the area's German-American heritage, and jazz masters Bix Beiderbecke and Louie Bellson.
Channel Cat Talk participants tour the Mississippi River aboard the Channel Cat Water Taxi, with boarding taking place at Moline's Riverbend Commons Dock. Experts will provide narration on the themed surroundings, with the Channel Cat Talks for August including: "Beiderbecke and Bellson" (August 4), in which travelers will learn about the lives of Bix and Louie through recorded music, recently discovered historical information, anecdotes, and their connections to the Quad City area; "River Landscape Mosaic" (August 9 and 11); with Dr. Reuben Heine and Dr. Norm Moline answering such questions as "Why does the river flow east-west here?" and "What are river processes and how have humans changed them?"; "Lock and Dam 15 Improvements" (August 16 and 18), in which USACE civil engineer and Riverdale Mayor Anthony Huddlesten will discuss why the first lock constructed for the nine-foot channel system in the 1930s was built and how it operates and is maintained; "MRCTI: Mayors' Collaborative Projects" (August 23 and 25), which finds Heddlesten discussing the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative and vinter-community partnerships across the Quad Cities region; and "Constellation Fish Hatchery and Other Hot Topics of the Mississippi River" (August 30 and September 1), with Exelon's Jeremiah Haus addressing the Constellation (formerly known as Quad City Nuclear Power Station) Fish Hatchery works and how programs like it are vital to the health of local rivers.
Riverine Walk participants explore the Quad Cities through a series of guided strolls through various area locales, with the August Riverine Walks series featuring: "Green Rooftops" (August 3 and 6), as Teresa Nelson leads a tour of the unique local farm that custom-grows vegetated roof modules that have become part of "green" buildings in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas; "How David Sears brought John Deere to Moline" (August 10 and 13), with Frank Ege exploring how one of Moline's founders used the promise of free water power to persuade Deere to build his plow factory in Moline; "German American Heritage" (August 17 and 20), in which Kory Darnall, Schützen Park Gilde, explains the role of German immigrants in the founding of the Quad Cities while exploring the park and its history; and "Hampton's Historic Riverfront Walking Tour" (August 24 and 27), which finds Hampton Historical Society member Tom McKay discussing houses, businesses, and customs that linked Hampton to the Mississippi River.
Channel Cat Talks take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. and are $20 per person, while Riverine Walks are held on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m., with admission $10 per person. For more information on these “Explore the River Series” presentations, call (563)322-2969 and visit RiverAction.org.
