River Action has launched an interactive Retain the Rain online calculator that helps people find out how to control stormwater runoff from a home or business. They can also calculate the amount of water runoff saved by implementing Retain the Rain projects such as rain gardens, native plantings, prairie restorations, runnels, porous paving, bioswales, and green roofs. To get started, visit RiverAction.org.

 

A pair of prominent Quad Cities artists and arts educators received Lloyd Schoeneman Community Impact Awards at Quad City Arts annual meeting on October 16. Ralph Iaccarino accepted the Outstanding Arts Supporter Award in recognition of his extensive efforts to actively engage and recruit the media, corporate sponsors, and individual donors in the promotion of arts education. Megan Quinn was presented the Outstanding Arts Educator Award for her dedication to art students as a professor at Augustana College and as a community arts educator in area schools and museums. Recipients of the Lloyd Schoeneman Community Impact Awards are nominated by their peers in recognition of their passion for the arts and the significant community impact made through their work in the arts.

 

Barbara Webster of Bettendorf was honored with a Governor's Volunteer Award this year for her work at the Family Museum in Bettendorf. Webster accepted the award on Wednesday, October 22, at the Family Museum's annual volunteer-recognition luncheon. Webster has donated her time at the Family Museum as an assistant in the preschool class Literally Yours, designed to help children achieve command of symbols and words before they begin formal reading. She also assists with the museum's cooking classes, at which children learn how to measure and mix through both new and familiar recipes.

 

Iowa is receiving $23 million in emergency- relief funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation for highway and bridge damage. These funds will be used to reimburse the Iowa Department of Transportation for repairs stemming from this year's floods and severe weather. The money was included in the recently passed disaster-assistance package.

 

The Friends of the Muscatine Art Center have announced their fourth-annual Festival of Wreaths. This week-long event will showcase wreaths, table-top trees, door swags, and table centerpieces donated and decorated by local artists, businesses, crafters, and school children. The show will open free to the public from Tuesday, November 11, through Saturday, November 15, during regular museum hours, and will culminate with a ticketed gala and silent auction on November 15. Tickets for the Festival of Wreaths Grand Gala Finale Party are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. All proceeds benefit the art center's education programs. For more information, call (563) 263-8282.

 

The Healing Waters Empowerment Project will observe October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and continues its Domestic Violence Community Empowerment Initiative by hosting a guest speaker and a luncheon performance from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, October 31, at the River Music Experience, 129 Main Street in Davenport. The cost is $5 for students and $10 for adults. For further information or to make a reservation, contact Shellie Moore Guy at (309) 631-3100 or Jessica Terry-Mayes at (309) 716-1203

 

The Davenport Public Library has announced a new partnership with the Cedar Rapids-based African American Historical Museum & Cultural Center of Iowa. Davenport native Tyla Cole has joined the museum as the new eastern Iowa coordinator. She is stationed at Davenport Public Library's Fairmount Street location and will be helping the library provide programs highlighting African-American heritage. There will be a reception for her on Thursday, October 30, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Main Street Library (321 Main Street). For more information about the museum, visit BlackIowa.org.

 

The Karli Rose Kell Music Scholarship Fund at River Music Experience has received more than $7,500 in pledges and donations. Every dollar goes directly to benefit area youth who might not otherwise be able to afford music lessons at River Music Experience, Rock Camp USA tuition, Sound Lab tuition, or fees for the other educational programs. The fund's organizers are also planning to do a compilation-CD release in the future, featuring original tracks from regional bands and musicians. Donations to the fund can be made to the Karli Rose Kell Music Scholarship Fund, c/o River Music Experience, 129 Main St., Davenport IA 52801.

 

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