Designers and historians working on displays for the planned Centennial Bridge Visitor Center in Rock Island - scheduled to open late this spring - are looking for three-dimensional memorabilia and historical items. The designers are looking for toll-taker uniforms, clothing items, toll-booth remnants, special advertising items, and even special token-holders that businesses might have created for their employees. If you have items to share, contact Jill Doak at (309) 732-2900 or (doak.jill@rigov.org).
The Quad City Animal Welfare Center will hold a low-cost vaccination clinic on Saturday, February 16, from 10 a.m. to noon. No appointment is necessary. More information about the center can be found at (http://www.qcawc.org) or by calling (309) 787-6830.
Over the past 32 years, more than 7,000 junior- and senior-high instrumentalists have participated in St. Ambrose University's annual Honor Band Festival. This year's musicians will be featured in a concert on Thursday, February 28, at 7 p.m. in the Allaert Auditorium of the Galvin Fine Arts Center. Admission to the concert is $5 for adults and $1 for students. Students must be nominated by their school band director to be a part of Honor Band. For more information, contact Gene Bechen at (563) 333-6149.
In the American Legislative Exchange Council's first economic ranking of all 50 states, Iowa was ranked 27th and Illinois 42nd. The report, "Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index," is available online at (http://www.alec.org), and the report on each state can be downloaded individually.
Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, has announced a partnership with the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), the largest community college in the world with more than 332,000 students registered and the only community college within the Department of Defense. Through this alliance, all graduates of the 67 associate-degree programs offered by the CCAF will be guaranteed admittance into programs offered by Ashford. For more information, visit (http://www.ashford.edu).
Piano Celebration is looking for piano players of all levels to perform. Last year more than 400 local celebrities, student pianists, and piano enthusiasts performed at NorthPark Mall in Davenport to raise funds to support Ronald McDonald House and to get the message out that piano study promotes brain development. This year's event will take place on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20. Contact Lynn Kroeger at (563) 285-8421 to schedule a performance time or to give a financial contribution. Over the past five years, Piano Celebration has raised more than $119,800 for Iowa City's Ronald McDonald House, and this year's goal is $30,000.
In conjunction with Circa '21's upcoming gospel musical comedy Smoke on the Mountain, the Rock Island dinner playhouse will host a competition called "Clash of the Church Choirs." The contest is patterned after the recent NBC television series Clash of the Choirs. Preliminary rounds of the contest will be held Saturday, April 5, at Circa '21, located at 1828 Third Avenue. The winning choir will receive $500. The final sing-off for the competition will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29. If your church is interested in registering, call Sue at (309) 786-7733 extension 312. Choirs will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Iowa's U.S. senators, Democrat Tom Harkin and Republian Charles Grassley, have introduced legislation to pay tribute to the work of Iowa native Norman Borlaug by designating his birthplace and childhood home near Cresco as a national historic site. Borlaug is commonly known as the "Father of the Green Revolution." One of only five people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal, Borlaug dedicated his adult life to developing new approaches to agriculture and helping developing countries prevent hunger, famine, and death.
The Iowa Beverage Association on February 4 launched a Web site and began airing ads to oppose Iowa Governor Chet Culver's proposed changes to the state's bottle- and can-redemption law. The governor has proposed doubling the deposit on containers to 10 cents. The governor has also called for expanding the number and type of containers covered under the redemption law. For more information, look at (http://www.stopthebottletax.com).
The Davenport Library's "Off-Beat Independent Films" series features award-winning foreign and domestic independent movies the third Wednesday of each month at the Fairmount Street Library at 6 p.m. Smoke Signals will be shown on Wednesday, February 20, at 6 p.m. No registration is required for this free event. Call (563) 328-6833 for more information.
