The Riverboat Development Authority Board of Directors approved $978,500 in grants to local organizations on November 19. A total of 48 grants were awarded to 44 different applicants. Among the largest recipients were the River Music Experience ($60,000 for "support for growth/expansion"), United Neighbors Inc. ($60,000 for Summer Park program), Davenport's Levee Improvement Commission ($50,000 for Union Station visitor center), DavenportOne Foundation ($40,000 for D1 Initiative), and the Family Museum of Arts & Science Foundation ($35,000 for QC Great Places Initiative). For more information on the Riverboat Development Authority, visit RiverboatAuthority.com. - Ashley Allen

 

The hundreds of golfers who participated in Genesis Foundation golf outings this year raised more than $127,000 to help meet the health-care needs of the region. To learn more about sponsoring and/or golfing in 2009 Genesis Golf events, contact Deb Hughes at (563) 421-6861 or hughes@GenesisHealth.com.

 

Julie Larson, author of the syndicated "Dinette Set" comic strip, will return to the Davenport Public Library's downtown location (321 Main Street) for a meet-and-greet book-signing on Saturday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to noon. Larson has just released a retrospective book about the comic titled The Penny Gang Down Memory Lane, 20th Anniversary Edition, which covers from its inception to the present. For more information about the program, call (563) 888-3371. For more information about Julie Larson and the Dinette Set, go to TheDinetteSet.com.

 

The Moline Boosters will host their annual Spirit Wear Christmas sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 6, at Wharton Field House. There will be many Moline Maroon items to choose from, and the list of available items can be found at MolineBC.org. Gift-wrapping is also available.

 

The Long Grove Volunteer Fire Department has received $103,883 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program for health and safety.

 

Musician, composer, musical playwright, and actor Michael J. Miles will present "From Senegal to Seeger" - a one-man show featuring musical and written works by Pete Seeger, Carl Sandburg, Woody Guthrie, Walt Whitman, Bach, and others - at the Musser Public Library in Muscatine. This free program will be held in the Meeting Room of the library at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 6, as part of the Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Series. Musser Public Library is located on the corner of Iowa Avenue and Third Street. For more information, call Amy at (563) 263-3065 extension 110.

 

The River Music Experience will offer a new music theory class - "The Language of Music: An Introduction to Western Music Theory" - starting in January. The nine-week class taught by Eric Kranz is geared toward aspiring musicians who would like to learn the basic principles of music theory, including how to sight read. The cost is $200 per participant, and the class will meet Tuesday evenings, January 13 through March 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the performance hall. Registration forms and more information are available at RiverMusicExperience.org.

 

All admissions to The Polar Express 3D at the Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre will carry the youth price of $7 this year. The movie runs through January 4. For more information, call (563) 324-1933 or visit Putnam.org.

 

Three local members of the EMS community were honored at the Iowa Emergency Medical Association conference held November 13 through 15 in Des Moines. Dan Collins was awarded Volunteer of the Year; Jamie Temple was awarded Paramedic of the Year; and paramedic Chuck Gipson was awarded Full Time Instructor of the Year. All three are employees of Davenport-based MedicEMS.

 

The Center for Active Seniors (CASI) has announced a new holiday family festival. The Light Up the Holidays Family Festival will be held on Saturday, December 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the CASI center at West Kimberly Road and Marquette Street in Davenport. The event features an indoor light show and themed rooms of holiday activities. Admission is free, with fees for some activities. For more information, call (563) 386-7477 or visit CASISeniors.org. All event proceeds will support CASI programs and services for the senior community.

 

River Action's ninth-annual Eddy Awards will be celebrated on April 25. The Eddy Awards will recognize individuals, organizations, companies, schools, and governments for outstanding riverfront activity or development - well-designed and environmentally responsible - in the following categories: education, design, river activity, arts, stewardship, and revitalization. For more information or to nominate someone, visit RiverAction.org.

 

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