By the time St. Ambrose University's May 13 commencement rolled around, students had put in more than 20,000 hours of service to the community during the 2006-7 academic year. SAU student service included a wide range of activities and projects. Ambrosians for Peace & Justice sent 15 students and staff to New Orleans to help in cleanup efforts at facilities for the elderly, logging nearly 600 service hours. Twenty others went to the David School in Kentucky over spring break and worked 800 hours teaching the school's students and cleaning and renovating its grounds. Thirty student mentors in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program spent more than 900 hours with their "littles" in a variety of activities that included pumpkin-carving, visiting the Davenport Fire Department, and attending sports events together. And St. Ambrose's Habitat for Humanity group logged more than 2,800 hours helping to build a house in Davenport and volunteering during spring break in Colorado and Arkansas.
Davenport's North High Drama was selected at the Iowa Thespian Festival to perform a selection of their fall musical, Godspell, at the International Thespian Festival the last week of June, in Lincoln, Nebraska. They will perform in the Chapter Select Showcase in the Howell Theater on the campus of the University of Nebraska as part of the festival. In preparation, the cast will do a preview show for the community on Saturday, June 23, at 7 p.m., in the Paul Holzworth Performing Arts Center on the North High campus. Admission is free to the community, but donations to cover the cost of the trip will be accepted.
The Figge Art Museum has earned a place in the new 1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die book. On pages 515 and 516 is a chapter titled "On Grant Wood's Trail," which focuses on Grant Wood's biography and Cedar Rapids connections. The book, which was printed in May, is available from Quad Cities booksellers. Its retail price is $19.95.
It has been 60 years since the Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Davenport first opened its doors. In addition to a schedule of private and group lessons, the studio - located at 221½ Brady Street - is home to weekly dance parties and friendly competitions, in which students and teachers have an opportunity to show off their new skills. For more information on the Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Davenport, call Les Hillier at (563) 326-4321 or visit (http://www.arthurmurray.com). Arthur Murray Dance Studios can be found in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, South Africa, Japan, and Puerto Rico.
The first-ever "Bix Bash" took place in Davenport in 1971 is now available on CD in select Quad Cities stores. Digitally re-mastered from the original reel-to-reel tapes, the recording is available at 30 retail locations in the Quad Cities and will also be available at the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival. The sessions were recorded on August 6, 1971, on the 40th anniversary of Bix's death. The CD is available at local Co-op stores, Borders, the Figge Art Museum, the Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre, and Quad City Arts, among other locations.
The Davenport Public Library's Fairmount Street location (3000 North Fairmount Street) will host an after-hours Harry Potter new-release party on Friday, July 20. Doors will open at 9 p.m. for the arrival of party-goers and will be locked by 9:30 p.m. so that the festivities can start. During this free celebration, participants of all ages will get to watch Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone, play games, and drink butterbeer while eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. At the stroke of midnight, a drawing will take place for party-goers, with a chance to win a copy of the final book, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Multiple copies of the book and book-on-CD will be given away, as well as other prizes. Registration is required; call (563) 888-3371 or visit (http://www.davenportlibrary.com).
The 16th Annual Community Celebration of Youth will be held July 11 at Fejervary Park & Children's Zoo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year's theme - "Celebrating Our Great Outdoors" - will include environmental information, opportunities for outdoor fun, and explorations of the many great places kids and families can visit throughout the Quad Cities. The event is open to organized groups from summer programs and to all families.
A settlement has been reached in an antitrust class-action lawsuit against Microsoft about certain Microsoft software acquired by consumers, businesses, and Iowa state and local government entities for use in Iowa. Under the terms of the settlement, Microsoft will provide up to nearly $180 million in cash payments to consumers and in vouchers to volume licensees and/or Iowa state or local governmental entities that can be used toward the purchase of computers, peripheral computer hardware, and software. The court-ordered notice and other documents at this Web site explain the settlement and the benefits it provides. The deadline for mailing your claim is December 14, 2007. For more information, visit (http://www.iowamicrosoftcase.com).
The Family Museum drop-in classes "Under the Big Tree," "Sleepytime with Buzz & Honey," "Itty Bitty Club," "Drop-in Art," and "Drop-in Chess" are not taking place during summer. They will return the week of August 20, when the fall semester begins. Marketing materials for the Bettendorf museum may have suggested that the classes are year-round, but they take a summer vacation.
