The Quad Cities will host the Upper Mississippi River Conference and RiverWay 2008 late this summer. The conference, which will take place August 21 through 23, will include three keynote speakers talking about ways to connect people with the river and how to enhance wildlife habitats. Although the event at the i wireless Center in Moline is geared toward city officials, architects, environmentalists, and teachers, it will provide a variety of activities for the general public. The conference partnered with River Action, which is producing RiverWay 2008, to offer events such as night bike rides, lock and dam tours, and canoing lessons. More information is available at (http://www.riveraction.org). - Marguerite Day
Donations of used merchandise will be accepted for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association's annual Second Fiddle Sale through June 17 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Mondays from noon to 8 p.m. Donations can be made at the former Seasonal Concepts building, 3568 North Brady Street in Davenport, between Big Lots and K Mart. The sale, held June 19 through 21, will feature gently used clothing, furniture, household items, linens, small appliances, books, children's clothing, sporting goods, toys, jewelry, antiques, collectibles, and more. All donations are tax-deductible.
On May 28, the Illinois House of Representatives Executive Committee voted to amend House Bill 2760 to include a lost-or-stolen-firearm clause. Under this amendment, anyone with a valid Firearms Owner's Identification card who is the victim of a crime in which a lawfully owned firearm is stolen or who loses a firearm would be required to report the loss to authorities within 72 hours. The bill was defeated by the full House on May 31.
The U.S. House Fiscal Year 2009 defense-spending bill would scrap the Base Realignment & Closure (BRAC) Commission. According to a summary of the bill, the BRAC Commission has increased costs by 50 percent and minimized savings. The bill would mandate that any future BRAC rounds be conducted with a new process. This would kill the current BRAC process, but would likely not affect implementation of the 2005 BRAC recommendations, which included the realignment of the Rock Island Arsenal.
Producers at A&E Network are looking for owners of buildings scheduled for implosion for a mid-July television event. This episode will be the live premiere to the fourth season of a popular program. For more information or to inform the producers of such a building already planned for summer implosion, contact Jen Hutchins at (jennifer.hutchins@gmail.com).
The Carstensen family will host an Alex's Lemonade Stand on Saturday, June 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Mississippi Valley Growers' Association Farmers' Market, 320 West Kimberly Road in Davenport. Lemonade Days is a three-day national event that grew out of Alexandra "Alex" Scott's front-yard lemonade stand, and volunteers host thousands of Alex's Lemonade Stands across the country, raising over $1 million for childhood-cancer research.
Up to thirty new Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA) groups will form in communities throughout Iowa as a result of a recent conference held in Des Moines. DRA is a 12-step self-help program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. It is often viewed as an effective avenue of recovery for people who are experiencing both serious mental illness and substance-abuse problems. National studies indicate that approximately 50 percent of people with serious mental illness also suffer from substance-abuse problems. For more information, visit (http://www.iowadra.org).
Ice skaters from seven states will vie for medals at the 2008 Quad City Championships, June 6 through 8 at the Quad City Sports Center in Davenport. The Figure Skating Club of the Quad Cities will host more than 140 competitors. Public viewing of the competition is free. For more information, visit (http://fscqc.org).
A partnership of five local chapters of Big Brothers Big Sisters has been awarded a $378,000, three-year grant from the Iowa Commission on Volunteer & Community Service to support youth mentoring in a 10-county region across eastern Iowa. The grant will pay for new AmeriCorps staff members to assist in casework, community outreach, and clerical duties. For more information, call (888) 822-2447.
Students from the International Thespian troupe at Pleasant Valley High School will perform on the main stage at the 2008 International Thespian Festival. The Thespian Festival takes place June 23 through 28 on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Pleasant Valley students, under the direction of troupe director Bill Myatt, will perform Chicago on Monday, June 23.
The Iliowa Irregulars, the Shady Creek Shooters, and the Alpha Beta chapter of ESA got together for some gun play on May 24 and 25 to raise funds for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Hosted at the Milan Rifle Club, the 10th Annual Charity Cowboy Shoot raised a record $36,784. For more information, visit (http://www.shadycreekshootists.com/milan.htm).
